Aggies
AggiesNCAAB New Mexico State Aggies
General Information
NCAA Division: Division I
Conference: Western Athletic Conference (2005-present)
Past Conferences: Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Missouri Valley, Big West, Sun Belt
City: Las Cruces, N.M.
Stadium: Pan American Center
NCAA Tournaments: 26 (1952, 1959, 1960, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1979, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022)
Championships:
- National Championships: None
- Conference Tournament Titles: 13 (1992, 1994, 1999, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022)
- Conference Regular Season Titles: 20 (1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1952, 1959, 1960, 1977, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022)
New Mexico State Aggies Team History
The New Mexico State Aggies are a Division I program located in Las Cruces, N.M. New Mexico State currently competes in the Western Athletic Conference and is coached by Greg Heiar.
New Mexico State has been highly successful through the years, with 26 NCAA Tournament appearances on its ledger, including five Sweet 16 appearances and a trip to the Final Four in 1970.
Lou Henson guided the Aggies to a 27-3 record during that Final Four run, which ended with a 93-77 loss to eventual national champion UCLA. The Aggies went on to beat St. Bonaventure 79-73 in the third-place game. Henson, a future College Basketball Hall of Famer, coached New Mexico State from 1966-75 before leaving for Illinois, then returned from retirement for a second stint with the Aggies from 1997-05. He is the winningest coach in program history, with a record of 307-164 over 17 seasons.
The Aggies’ most recent NCAA Tournament appearance came in 2022, when they went 27-7, swept the WAC regular season and tournament championships, and overcame long odds to beat fifth-seeded UConn 70-63 in the opening round. The Aggies had lost 12 straight games in the Big Dance dating to the 1993 first round.
New Mexico State has been among the WAC’s upper-echelon programs, winning a combined 17 regular season and tournament titles since joining the league in 2005 following a brief stint in the Sun Belt Conference. They’ve had 13 20-win seasons in the league, including a 30-5 mark under Chris Jans in 2018-19.
Jans, the three-time WAC Coach of the Year, departed following the 2021-22 season for Mississippi State. He was replaced by Heiar, who had led NW Florida State to the NJCAA national title. Per usual, the Aggies carried big expectations into this season, as they were picked to finish second behind Grand Canyon in the WAC preseason coaches and media polls.
In addition to 1970, the Aggies made the Sweet 16 in 1952, 1968, 1969 and 1992. Their 1992 appearance, however, was later vacated by the NCAA after several players were found to have received improper academic help from coaches. The school’s Big West Conference title in 1997 was also scrubbed from the books for academic issues.
New Mexico State’s postseason history also includes five National Invitational Tournament appearances.
All Time New Mexico State Aggies Records
Points Scored
Eric Channing: 1,862
Albert Slab Jones: 1,758
Jimmy Collins: 1,734
Rebounds
Sam Lacey: 1,265
Wendell McKines: 1,135
Albert Slab Jones: 951
Assists
Sam Crawford: 592
Hernst Laroche: 552
Keith Hill: 379
