By: Anthony Esparza
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| Photo by: Zack Ponce |
The New Mexico State men’s basketball is playing with a healthy sense of urgency heading into the final two games of the regular season.
At 22-8 overall and 9-3 in conference play, New Mexico State sits in second place in the Western Athletic Conference standings. However the team has endured its share of highs and lows that led to the late-season surge.
“At the beginning of the year we felt like we were the underdogs, and we wanted to attack everybody,” said senior forward Wendell McKines. “Then we started 4-0 and we started to feel ourselves a little bit, and we took some loses in the process.”
McKines said the improvements started in practice. The team began approaching practice with an intensity level that mirrored that of a regular season game and the results showed on the court.
NM State has improved in several areas since the start of the season including scoring and defense. The team has also improved in areas that do not appear on the stat sheet. The Aggies have played with an abundance of intensity as of late.
“That has to do with the fact we have three seniors,” McKines said of the intensity boost. “We have a sense of urgency, and other players are feeding off that and playing their game as well.”
One of the Aggies’ three conference losses this season was against Nevada on Jan. 26 at the Pan American Center. The Wolf Pack got off a quick start and the Aggies were forced to play catch-up for the rest of the game. NM State looks to avenge the loss on Thursday in Reno, Nev.
“They have been playing great defense,” NM State head coach Marvin Menzies said of the Wolf Pack. “They’re blocking shots, guarding the ball and keeping guys off the free-throw line. They’re doing what they need to do to win, and if that’s defensively then you’ve got to give them credit for that.”
NM State concludes the regular season at Fresno State on March 3. Although their 13-17 record does not raise any eyebrows, they Bulldogs are a scrappy team that played a competitive game against the Aggies in Las Cruces on Jan. 28.
“Fresno is a scary team…” Menzies said. “They play within themselves. The few experienced guys they do have are doing a good job at holding it together, and they haven’t packed it in by any means.”
Despite essentially having locked up the No. 2 seed in the WAC Tournament, the Aggies are looking to finish the regular season on a high note and enter the tournament with momentum.
“We play this game to win. It’s as simple as that…” McKines said. “I know the coaches are game-planning for us to come out with the victory. We’re going to practice like we’re going into a big game, and we’re going up there to win.”
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