WAC basketball: How the conference is helping New Mexico State out
The New Mexico State Aggies have their best chance ever to make some serious noise come March. They’ll have their WAC peers to thank for that.
Over this past weekend, the game of the week from the Western Athletic Conference came on Saturday between Utah Valley 16-7 (6-2) and Seattle 16-8 (6-2), teams who along with Grand Canyon 17-7 (6-2) are fighting for second place.
It was a bruising battle for both teams, with both leading scorers providing nothing in the game. Akolda Manyang was a late scratch for the Wolverines, while Matej Kavas went 0/10 for the Redhawks for just one point. The absence of Utah Valley’s big man proved vital for Seattle’s counterpart, as Aaron Menzies had 15 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks in the 55-54 win.
While Jim Hayford and Seattle got the big win on the court, the real winner was New Mexico State 20-3 (7-0). That’s because assuming the Aggies goes unbeaten in WAC play (strong possibility), they’ll have 4-5 wins over potential top-100 teams, something that wasn’t thought about a couple of years ago.
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WAC teams in the NCAA tournament
This is the seventh season for the newly formed WAC, and the drop in team talent has severely affected the league’s standing. The conference went from being a multi-bid league every other year with teams creeping into single-digit seeds, to becoming a clear one bid league with the following seeds:
2012: New Mexico State – 13
2013: New Mexico State – 13
2014: New Mexico State – 13
2015: New Mexico State – 15
2016: Cal State Bakersfield – 15
2017: New Mexico State – 14
Aggie’s fans have to have been disappointed with these seeds, as they’ve had NBA players and other talented athletes capable of making a run in the NCAA tournament. But their low evaluation has put them in a tough opening game against a really good team.
This season could be different, with the latest Busting Bracket’s Bracketology having Chris Jan’s team at a 12 seed, with the potential to go higher. It also gives them a legit shot at getting at at-large bid, just in case they fail to win the conference tournament. They’ve certainly done their job, with wins over Miami and Illinois on their resume.
New Mexico State’s WAC teammates
But the Aggies have gotten some big help this season, with the other three top WAC teams having solid seasons as well. Utah Valley and Grand Canyon are both top-100 BPI teams, while Seattle has bad losses on the overall resume and has beaten everyone they’re supposed to.
The top four teams in the conference have only lost to each other so far, which can only continue to help New Mexico State. College basketball is a unique sport, where teams have to root for others, sometimes even their own rivals to succeed in order to help themselves out.
That’s the case for the Aggie’s fans, as they should hope the Antelopes, Wolverines and the Redhawks all continue to do well this season. It’ll make beating them all the more vital to set up New Mexico State for a potential deep run in March.