Aggie Nation!

We are finally on the cusp of the 2019-20 season. It has been a long offseason full of growth and development. We return a whole lot of experience and talent from last season and have brought some new guys into the program that will help us accomplish our goals.

We are excited for a memorable 2019-20 campaign and want to make sure Aggie Nation - wherever you may live - has a front row seat for the season ahead. Our NM State Men's Basketball newsletter brings together the best stories on Aggie basketball from our sports information department, as well as local and national news media.

Make sure to subscribe to receive this newsletter via email by clicking the button below.

Here's to a happy and swift October and we cannot wait to see Aggie Nation in the Pan American Center on Nov. 5.

#AggieUp

Chris Jans

Head Men's Basketball Coach

NM State

Aggies Picked to Win WAC: NM State comes into the 2019-20 season after posting eight-straight campaigns with 20 or more wins and seven appearances in the last eight NCAA Tournaments. The target has been put on their backs as the Aggies were once again picked to win the conference.

Jans Preview: The local media talked with Chris Jans ahead of official practice starting a few days ago.

The Returners: Nine players return from last season that averaged 10-plus minutes per game.

Shawn Williams Looks to Make Impact as Newcomer: The former East Carolina Pirate has brought his sharp-shooting ability to Las Cruces.

Looking at the Schedule: The non-conference slate is jam-packed with quality contests that include rivalry home games and Power-5 road win opportunities.

Following a record-setting season, the New Mexico State men's basketball team was unanimously selected as the favorite to repeat as Western Athletic Conference Champions in both the Preseason Coaches' and Media Polls, the league announced on Wednesday.

 

Following the announcement head coach Chris Jans said, "When a program returns nine guys who played double figure minutes on a team that won some games you are bound to receive some preseason nods. Although, it doesn't help with the upcoming season in terms of wins and losses. Our kids understand that and will continue to strive to get better as we all prepare for the upcoming season."

 

NM State returns nine players from 2018-19 who played at least 10 minutes per game, seven of whom are seniors, making the Aggies one of the oldest and most experienced squads in college basketball. The Aggies also add some much-welcomed firepower to a team already looking to return to the Big Dance.

 

Being selected to finish first in both the coaches' and media polls marks the sixth season out of the last seven that the Crimson and White have been chosen as the outright favorite. NM State comes into the 2019-20 season after posting eight-straight campaigns with 20 or more wins and seven appearances in the last eight NCAA Tournaments.

Click the button below to read the full press release!

NM State head coach Chris Jans has vaulted Aggie Basketball to heights that have not been seen since the Neil McCarthy days of the 1990's.

Coming off a program-record 30 wins in 2018-19, the Aggies are primed for another WAC title run that would land NM State in the Big Dance for the 10th time since 2007.

Watch the video above of Jans previewing the beginning of official practice for the Aggies.

Doing it by committee.

That was the theme for NM State in 2018-19. Opponents did not know who to gameplan for because of the extreme amount of balance the team operated with. Not only did the Aggies go as many as 13-deep in games -- they did it featuring a roster that only had two seniors (Eli Chuha and Jojo Zamora) playing an average of more than 10 minutes per game.

Back come guys like Johnny McCants, Ivan Aurrecoechea and CJ Bobbitt down low to AJ Harris, Terrell Brown, Trevelin Queen and Clayton Henry on the perimeter for a unit that outscored their opponents by an average of 13.6 points per game.

This kind of continuity is a first for Jans during his time with the Aggies and having that familiarity should prove to be beneficial early in the season especially when most teams are figuring themselves out. The Aggies will have an identity from the get-go.

Shawn Williams comes to NM State after two successful individual seasons at East Carolina. Williams was the American Athletic Conference's Rookie of the Year for the 2017-18 season and was one of the more prolific 3-point shooters in the league.

Williams started all 26 games in which he played in 2018-19 and averaged 12.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 34.6 minutes. He made 37.7 percent of his field goal attempts, 35.9 percent of his 3-point shots and 87.8 percent of his free throws and ranked fourth in The American in minutes played per game, fifth with 2.7 3-point field goals made per game and 14th in 3-point field goal percentage (.359).

He looks to add to an Aggie backcourt that contains a lot of talent and will benefit from his 3-point shooting.

For the fourth-consecutive season, NM State will look to knock off a Power-5 opponent.

In 2016, it was a win at Arizona State. A year later, wins over Illinois and No. 6 Miami thrusted the Aggies into a national spotlight. Last season, NM State beat Washington State not just once, but twice and came within a possession of beating No. 2 Kansas.

The 2019-20 slate will feature similar opportunities such as road games at Arizona (Nov. 17) and Mississippi State (Dec. 22) -- with a potential game versus either Nebraska or Washington State during the Cayman Islands Classic tournament.