Aggies are back as WAC champs

Geoff Grammer, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
·4 min read

Mar. 13—LAS VEGAS, Nev. — All the classic March cliché moments were there again.

Kool & the Gang's "Celebration" blared over the arena speakers. Crimson and white confetti shot across the court. Fans were singing the New Mexico State University fight song. Nets were cut once again for the Aggies.

And order was, at long last, restored in the Western Athletic Conference.

Clayton Henry's 15 points led four Aggies in double figures and a balanced attack from No. 1 seed NMSU made relatively light work of No. 6 Abilene Christian, 66-52, in the WAC Tournament championship game on Saturday night in the Orleans Arena, earning the league's automatic berth in next week's NCAA Tournament.

"It's special," Aggies fifth-year coach Chris Jans said in an on-court interview as the majority of the announced Orleans Arena crowd of 3,697 began chanting "Jans the Man."

He smiled before adding more.

"Aggie Nation is special. And they always show up."

NMSU (26-6) had won either the regular season or WAC Tournament title for nine consecutive years from 2012 through 2020. The program was forced to play and practice its entire 2020-21 season outside the state of New Mexico due to COVID-19 safety protocols in the state.

Their title streak was snapped last year, and coupled with the NCAA Tournament being canceled altogether in 2020, the two-year Aggies absence from the Big Dance was at its longest since missing in 2008 and 2009.

Jans said after all the team went through last year, he had to ask his staff a simple question last offseason.

"Are we going to establish ourselves as the dominant team in the WAC or not?" Jans said.

"... At the end of the day, I think we did that."

As for Saturday, the Aggies reminded anyone who might have forgotten that while they do in fact have the top star power in the league, they also probably have the league's best depth.

WAC Player of the Year Teddy Allen and second-team selection Jabari Rice combined for 46 of the Aggies' 75 points in Friday's semifinal win over Grand Canyon. Abilene Christian coach Brett Tanner, whose team was playing its fourth game in four days, said after the game his team's primary focus for NMSU was to not let those two beat the Wildcats (23-10). They didn't.

Allen and Rice combined for just 21 of the team's 66 points, with all of Allen's points coming in the first half as he was in foul trouble and Rice was limited due to a back injury.

The two were still named to the all-tournament team and Allen was Tournament MVP.

But Saturday, Henry led the charge and Mario McKinney came off the bench to add 10 points for NMSU, which will now await its name to be called on Sunday afternoon to see where, and against whom, they will open the NCAA Tournament.

The Aggies outrebounded ACU 44-28 and held the Wildcats to 32.7% shooting while committing just 15 turnovers against the national leaders in both forced turnovers per game (21.7) and turnover rate (28.7%).

ALL-TOURNAMENT: Allen (MVP) and Rice were the Aggies' two representatives on the all-tournament team. Joining them were Seattle's Darrion Trammell and ACU's Airion Simmons and Mahki Morris.

That ACU duo scored 12 apiece against NMSU.

New Mexico St. 66,

Abilene Christian 52

ABILENE CHRISTIAN (23-10)

Simmons 4-10 1-2 12, Cameron 1-4 2-2 4, Mason 3-10 6-8 14, Miller 0-4 0-0 0, Morris 4-10 3-4 12, Daniels 2-6 0-0 4, Steele 2-4 0-0 4, I.Allen 1-3 0-0 2, Jackson 0-1 0-0 0, Cadeaux de Dieu 0-0 0-0 0, Smith 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-52 12-16 52.

NEW MEXICO ST. (26-6)

McCants 3-6 2-4 8, Alok 0-1 2-2 2, T.Allen 2-8 5-5 10, Henry 6-11 0-0 15, Rice 3-11 2-2 11, McNair 3-5 1-2 8, McKinney 3-6 4-6 10, Peake 0-1 2-2 2, Pryor 0-2 0-0 0, Cotton 0-2 0-0 0, Crawford 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-53 18-23 66.

Halftime—New Mexico St. 30-21. 3-Point Goals—Abilene Christian 6-22 (Simmons 3-7, Mason 2-3, Morris 1-4, I.Allen 0-1, Daniels 0-1, Jackson 0-1, Miller 0-1, Cameron 0-2, Steele 0-2), New Mexico St. 8-25 (Henry 3-7, Rice 3-8, McNair 1-2, T.Allen 1-3, Cotton 0-1, McKinney 0-1, Peake 0-1, McCants 0-2). Fouled Out—T.Allen. Rebounds—Abilene Christian 21 (Cameron 5), New Mexico St. 40 (McNair 9). Assists—Abilene Christian 7 (Miller 3), New Mexico St. 12 (McCants, T.Allen 3). Total Fouls—Abilene Christian 18, New Mexico St. 17.

Let's dance Aggie Nation... #NCAABound || #TicketPunched pic.twitter.com/a4fe6tJiDQ

— NM State MBB (@NMStateMBB) March 13, 2022

With a 66-52 win over Abilene Christian @NMStateMBB is your 2022 WAC Men's Basketball Tournament Champions !! @WACsports @NMStateAggies pic.twitter.com/Gxbn2jxjOS

— Kendra Sheehan (@Kendrasheehan_) March 13, 2022