NMSU ready for Friday’s NCAA Tournament game against Clemson
Thursday night, The New Mexico State Aggies held their first practice in San Diego, CA in preparation for their NCAA Tournament first round match-up against Clemson.
Some experts have picked the Aggies to pull off the upset against the Tigers, but Clemson isn’t phased one bit.
ABC-7’s Trevor Thompson is in San Diego where he caught up with both teams as they head into Friday’s game.
Other notes:
Friday’s showdown against the fifth-seeded Clemson Tigers will be New Mexico State’s 21st all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The Aggies are 7-22 all-time at the Big Dance with all seven of their wins coming from 1968-70.
The last NM State win in the tournament came against St. Bonaventure in the NCAA Consolation game, 79-73, during its Final Four run in 1969-70.
*Note: NM State had to vacate wins from 1991-94, including a 3-3 mark in the NCAA Tournament during those years. If counted, it would be NM State’s 24th NCAA Tournament appearance with a 10-25 all-time record with its last tournament victory coming against Nebraska (97-79) in 1993.
NM State has now made an NCAA Tournament appearance in seven of the last nine years. This will be New Mexico State’s first time playing an NCAA Tournament game in San Diego.
In the last 10 losses for NM State in the Big Dance, two have come by single digits. Those two single-digit losses came against No. 13 San Diego State (73-69 OT) in 2014 and No. 12 Michigan State in 2010, 70-67.
Clemson is 23-9 overall and finished in a tie for third in the Atlantic Coast Conference with an 11-7 mark along with Miami, NC State and North Carolina.
The 11 wins in ACC action was the most in program history and tied the program record for wins in any conference (SEC, 1951-52).
The Tigers earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, their first since 2011, after falling in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament to top-ranked Virginia 64-58.
