The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 90 is New Mexico State basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of New Mexico State basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 0
- Final Fours: 1
- Elite Eights: 1
- Sweet 16s: 5
- NCAA wins: 11
- Bids: 26
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 14.3
- Bids per season: 0.22
- AP Polls: 64
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 1
- NBA players drafted & played: 9
- Conference Players of the Year: 6
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 21
- Conference tournament titles: 13
- NIT titles: 0
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on New Mexico State basketball
The New Mexico fans aren’t going to like this one, as their rival, NMSU, comes in 20 spots better.
But the proof is right in front of you for that comparison. The Aggies have made the NCAA Tournament nine more times, they’ve had three more Sweet 16s, and a Final Four. New Mexico has spent more time in the AP Poll and has had a bit more success with producing NBA talent. But the Aggies aren’t far behind and have completely dominated their conference over time. It’s close, but NMSU wins the battle here!
And you have to start with how well the Aggies have done in their conferences over time. They’ve been in a lot of them, but they’ve nearly always risen to the top. Here’s a breakdown:
- Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association (1931-40, 1941-62): 8 regular season titles, 3 NCAA Tournaments
- Missouri Valley Conference (1970-83): 1 regular season title, 3 NCAA Tournaments
- Big West Conference (1983-00): 4 regular season titles, 6 NCAA Tournaments
- Sun Belt (2000-05): 1 regular season title
- WAC (2005-23): 7 regular season titles, 10 NCAA Tournaments
Since joining Conference USA, New Mexico State hasn’t claimed a regular season title yet, but if they follow the pattern, they should have one shortly.
Obviously, the best run in a conference was in the WAC, where the Aggies dominated. Coaches Reggie Theus, Marvin Menzies, Paul Weir, and Chris Jans helped to uphold a winning standard in Las Cruces. From 2005-22, they had 16 winning seasons in 17 tries, with 13 20-win seasons and a 30-5 record in 2018-19. Along the way, they unfortunately never reached the second weekend of March Madness, but did pull off a nice upset of 5-seed UConn in 2022. They also developed Pascal Siakim, who played under Menzies and is in the midst of a very solid NBA career, with nearly 13,000 points scored and counting.
But we can’t overlook the history this program has had. It really started in 1951, as head coach George McCarty led them to the Sweet 16 in 1952. But it reached new levels when Lou Henson took over in 1966. Henson would lead them to three straight Sweet 16s from 1968-70, with the Final Four run happening in 1970. Consensus All-American Jimmy Collins was the go-to guy on the court.
Henson remains New Mexico State’s all-time leader in wins, with a record of 307-164. While he left for Illinois in 1975, he returned in 1997, coaching until 2005. His second stint wasn’t as great, but he did lead them to the big dance in 1999.
Henson’s run wasn’t the only notable one in NMSU history. Head coach Neil McCarthy led them to the tourney five straight years from 1990-94. That also included a Sweet 16 in 1992.
Overall, NMSU’s history has been made up of quite a few March Madness runs and lots more tourney bids. Other than Collins, Pascal Siakam, and Sam Lacey, lots of their NBA talent fizzled out. But the program probably wouldn’t trade that for the great history they’ve racked up.