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NMSU basketball seeded No. 12 in West, will play No. 5 UConn in March Madness

jason groves and lucas peerman, las cruces sun-news
·4 min read
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LAS CRUCES - New Mexico State is back in the NCAA Tournament for the 23rd time in school history and the third time under Aggies head coach Chris Jans.

Following this weekend's run to the WAC Tournament title, the Aggies were seeded No. 12 in the West region and will play No. 5 Connecticut in the first round on Thursday in Buffalo, N.Y.

Tipoff is 4:50 p.m. Mountain and the game will be broadcast nationally on TNT.

New Mexico State Coach Chris Jans said he was surprised at the 12 seed, but after a challenging season last year due to the pandemic, Jans said he was glad to be back in the Dance.

"I thought maybe we'd be a 13 (seed), even a possible 14 (seed). But, you know what, I'm glad we're a 12 seed. I'm sure our kids are excited about it," said Jans, whose received a 12 seed in all three Tournament appearances.

New Mexico State amassed a 26-6 overall record, including a 14-4 record in the Western Athletic Conference to win the league regular season. The team also won both of its games in the WAC Tournament to get the league's automatic bid.

More: Can NMSU upset UConn? A look at March Madness odds of No. 12 beating No. 5.

The Aggies are led by junior guards Teddy Allen and Jabari Rice, who are two of four players with NCAA Tournament experience on the Aggies roster.

"You would think on paper, it would be different (than 2019)," Jans said. "We have veterans. We have guys who have played in the Tournament. We are older. I think that always helps. You can't teach experience. We will have to educate the other guys who haven't played in that platform because it's different. I remember my first time as a head coach and it felt different. I'm sure for players, the lights are brighter. Exposure is at an all time high. We have to understand that so that we can play our best."

NM State senior Johnny McCants and guard Clayton Henry were on Jans' 2019 team, that nearly upset Auburn in Salt Lake City. Allen was on West Virginia's Sweet 16 team in 2018.

"Since we have a couple guys who made it to the Tournament, we can help the other guys," McCants said. "On this team, it kind of feels different. It feels like we can make another run in the Tournament, hopefully."

New Mexico State and UConn — which finished third in the Big East Conference — did not share any common opponents throughout the year.

"I really don't have an instant reaction. I don't know much about them; haven't seen them play all year long," Jans answered when asked about the Huskies on Sunday right after the matchup was announced.

UConn is 23-9 overall (13-6 in the Big East) and ranked No. 20 in the country. The Huskies lost to Villanova in the conference tournament semifinals.

The Huskies are led by R.J. Cole, a 6-1 senior playmaker who averages 15.7 points per game and 4.1 assists per game. Adama Sanogo, a 6-9 sophomore, handles duties in the paint, averaging 14.9 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game. The only other Huskie who scores in double figures is Tyrese Martin, a 6-6 senior guard averaging 13.7 points per game. Martin knocks down over 42 percent of his shots from the three-point line.

"I love the style of play (in the Big East)," Allen said. "I like the players. It's rough but it's skilled. It's fast. They are well coached. It's a great league. It should be a great matchup.

"We have guys who are experienced. The guys who aren't experienced have been through a lot this year. Going into March Madness, a lot of guys got some big moments that will serve us well."

Clark Kellogg, a college basketball analyst on the CBS show announcing the NCAA Tournament bracket, said New Mexico State was a possibility to upset UConn.

"New Mexico State is a dangerous team because of how they score and defend," Kellogg said.

Statistically, the teams are similar.

UConn averages 75.2 points per game and allows 65.2 points per game. New Mexico State averages 73.3 points per game and allows 65 points per game.

The winner of UConn-New Mexico state will advance to play the winner of No. 4 Arkansas and No. 13 Vermont.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: NMSU basketball will play UConn in first round of NCAA Tournament