Wish NMSU basketball team good luck at Pan Am Center Tuesday morning as they leave for tournament
The New Mexico State Aggies men’s basketball team will be leaving Tuesday morning for the NCAA tournament and fans are invited out to wish them well.
The team is scheduled to leave at around 9:15 a.m. from the Pan American Center’s south parking lot but fans are encouraged to arrive at least 15 minutes before then.
The New Mexico State men’s basketball team meets Saint Louis, Thursday, March 21 at 12:10 p.m. (MT) at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on TNT.
The Aggies are a No. 13 seed (24-10), and the Billikens are a No. 4 seed (27-6) in the Midwest Regional. The NCAA Tournament games can be heard on the Aggie Sports Network and KGRT 104 FM in Las Cruces with the ‘Voice of the Aggies’ Jack Nixon, and the pregame show starts 30 minutes prior to tip. The Aggies are making their 20th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in school history and their second consecutive showing and third trip in four years for the Crimson and White.
New Mexico State Aggies
The Aggies are 24-10 overall this season after winning its second consecutive WAC Tournament Championship following a 64-55 win over UT Arlington, March 16 in Las Vegas, Nev. Sophomore guard Daniel Mullings is leading the team with 14.0 points per game. Senior forward Bandja Sy is also in double figures with 11.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Senior forward Tyrone Watson and freshman center Sim Bhullar add 10.8 and 10.2 points per contest, respectively. Watson has missed the last four games due to an ankle injury.
Scouting Saint Louis
The Billikens are 27-6 overall after winning the Atlantic-10 Tournament with a 62-56 victory over No. 25/22 VCU, March 17 in Brooklyn, N.Y. Saint Louis has three players averaging in double figures with junior forward Dwayne Evans leading the way with 13.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Senior guard Kwamain Mitchell provides 10.4 points per contest, and senior forward Cody Ellis adds 10.3 points per game.
Series History
Thursday’s meeting is the seventh between the two schools with Saint Louis leading the all-time series, 4-2, but the teams haven’t met since the 1974-75 season. The Billikens were the Aggies’ first-ever opponent in the NCAA Tournament in 1952. Saint Louis and NM State played in Kansas City, Mo., in March 21, 1952, with the Aggies falling, 62-53. The Billikens won all three meetings in Saint Louis, Mo., 96-41, Dec. 7, 1975, 69-54, Feb. 15, 1973 and 78-60, Feb. 27, 1975. The Aggies won both meetings in Las Cruces, 74-58, Jan. 5, 1974, and 55-48, Feb. 6, 1975.
