3 things to know, watch in NMSU's matchup with Seattle: Will attendance increase in pivotal first-place game?
LAS CRUCES — It's really cold outside.
But the temperature inside the Pan American Center Saturday afternoon should be just fine — as long as there isn't another power outage. But thankfully, New Mexico's power grid seems far better equipped for freezing temperatures and a little bit of light snow than other places I've lived (Central Texas), so the New Mexico State men's basketball team shouldn't any be less capable of heating up when it welcomes Seattle Saturday at 4 p.m.
However, it also means conference-leading Seattle's stunning guard combo, which has helped the Redhawks take the Western Athletic Conference by storm (and not the winter kind of storm), will be just as likely to put up another crowd-silencing performance and continue to shock the conference. And with the amount of adversity both on and off the court Seattle has already overcome this year, nothing should be a surprise.
Here's three things you need to know about the Aggies matchup agains the Redhawks, which will place the winner first in the WAC after Seattle's 78-66 loss to Grand Canyon Thursday:
Seattle head coach resigned early in season after reports of racial slurs
On Nov. 6, four days before Seattle's season opener against Alcorn State, Redhawks head coach Jim Hayford was placed on administrative leave while the University reportedly began investigating incidents in which he was alleged to have used racial slurs, and assistant coach Chris Victor was named the interim head coach. On Nov. 11, he resigned. Seattle U athletic director Shaney Fink said in a release Hayford was "no longer able to effectively lead the team."
The Redhawks have played all 22 games this season with Victor acting as head coach, and the school has yet to name a permanent successor, but Seattle hasn't missed a beat since its Dec. 18 loss to Washington.
Seattle was a perfect 8-0 in conference play and riding a nine-game winning streak before losing to Grand Canyon Thurdsday, but NMSU head coach Chris Jans said he wasn't necessarily surprised the Redhawks had enjoyed the success they have this season.
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"I just don't view with that lens. It is what it is. They're obviously playing well," Jans said in his Monday press conference. "They're having an excellent season. Even in their non-league (schedule), they had some big wins, and their record is nice and it's good, and... I know they've got a bunch of guys that can score it and play with a lot of confidence."
Redhawks led by explosive guards, WAC Preseason Player of the Year
But the biggest "guys that can score it" are the guard combo of redshirt sophomore Houston transfer Cameron Tyson, junior guard Riley Grigsby and WAC Preseason Player of the Year Darrion Trammel, all of whom average better than 13 points per game. Tyson and Trammel both average over 16.
The trio averages almost seven 3-point field goals per game, and the Redhawks are top 30 in the country in 3-point attempts per game, according to Kenpom.
It means NMSU's backcourt duo of redshirt junior guards Jabari Rice and Teddy Allen will likely face their biggest positional test, and Rice joked there can only be one "dynamic duo" in the WAC. Allen is second in the conference in points per game and sixth in the league in rebounds per game. Rice will likely be an all-conference selection as well.
More: New Mexico State Signing Day Tracker
"I think if we play our roles and lock in defensively and we execute on our ball-screen coverage, we'll see (a positive) outcome," Rice said. "But we're not going to take anybody lightly, and we know they play hard. They have a top (player) in the league in Trammel at the front, Grigsby is a veteran, so we're going to come out there and we're just going to play hard and try to match their energy and exceed it."
Will attendance increase in pivotal first-place matchup?
Thursday's crowd at the Pan American Center for the Aggies game against California Baptist was surprisingly sparse, even for a conference game against a team toward the bottom of the league standings.
The official attendance of 4,431 fans marked the lowest attendance of the season for a men's home game against a Division I opponent, which came three days after NMSU announced it would discontinue concession sales in an effort to increase mask-wearing inside the arena. It was also the lowest attendance for a home game that was not held over Thanksgiving or Christmas break.
More: New Mexico State urges masking, could increase security at remaining basketball games
Time will tell whether or not the poor attendance was directly related to increased mask enforcement and suspended concession sales. Las Cruceans also experienced some of the coldest temperatures so far in 2022 Thursday, along with snow that morning, and road signs urged drivers to use caution while driving because of the potential of ice. Some students claimed on social media that panhellenic events also kept more of the student body from being able to attend.
I would simply like to state a lot of Greek life had preference night tonight so they weren’t able to attend
— Settle🐝 (@Settle12009) February 4, 2022
The Aggies experienced their largest crowd of the season last Saturday against Grand Canyon with 12,307 fans, which athletic director Mario Moccia said was the third-highest revenue game at the Pan Am in the last 21 seasons.
"Obviously with the decision that the University made disallowing concession stands, heard it directly heard indirectly, there are a lot of people that are disappointed in that decision," Jans said after Thursday's game. "And I'm certainly not trying to tell people how to live their life or make their decisions by no means, but I would implore and ask our fanbase to continue to support these kids on this team. We're 18-3, we're in the middle of a conference race... it's a big deal."
With a matchup for first place in the WAC on the line Saturday afternoon, the contest should serve as a benchmark to help determine whether or not Thursday's low attendance was merely a fluke, or the start of a new trend for the remaining four home games.
NMSU (18-3, 8-1) vs. Seattle (17-5, 8-1)
When: Saturday, Feb. 5, 4 p.m.
Where: Pan American Center, Las Cruces
TV: ESPN+ | Comcast New Mexico | Bally Sports Arizona | 'The CW' El Paso/Las Cruces
Online: https://www.espn.com/espnplus/
Radio: Zia Country 99.5 FM
Stephen Wagner is a sports reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can found on Twitter at @stephenwag22 and reached at SWagner@lcsun-news.com.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Will attendance increase in NMSU basketball's pivotal first-place game against Seattle?
