New Mexico State and Stephen F. Austin
As previously mentioned, New Mexico State has seen little resistance in the conference in recent years. Many years ago, the WAC fielded several great mid-major programs, but most of them have left for greener pastures. In the last eight full seasons, the Aggies have won seven WAC Tournament titles and finished atop the regular-season standings five times.
However, a new rival appears as a result of this move in the form of Stephen F. Austin. While they didn’t quite dominate the Southland as extensively as New Mexico State in the WAC, it’s hard to find a program dominating a low-major conference more than the Lumberjacks. Not only have they made four NCAA Tournaments since 2014, but they’ve won a pair of first-round upsets in the Tournament; something not even the Aggies have managed.
In this new 13-team conference, New Mexico State and Stephen F. Austin should become instant rivals, as the best programs from the two conferences become well acquainted with each other. The rise of programs like Grand Canyon and Sam Houston State will serve as formidable challenges, but these two schools will be the clear frontrunners, especially in the public eye. Fans are familiar with New Mexico State, as they’ve been in nearly every NCAA Tournament in recent memory; and many people remember Stephen F. Austin’s thrilling overtime win at Duke last season.
These are two great programs lead by great head coaches in shape to continue making a run at NCAA Tournament glory. However, there’s likely only one Tournament bid available for the two programs to fight over, and we might see some amazing rivalry-type battles between these programs, especially in the WAC Tournament.