DENVER - Depending on what statements you feast your eyes on in the vast social media universe, you may have stumbled upon a statement or two claiming the NM State men's basketball team has not lost a Western Athletic Conference game over the last decade-and-a-half.
While the history books do provide ample evidence that this is, unfortunately, not the case, the Aggies' dominance in the league is well documented. According to the league's coaches as well as the voting media members, that dominance is expected to continue in the upcoming 2020-21 season.
After ending the 2019-20 season on a 19-game winning streak - a run which produced the first 16-0 record in WAC regular season action - the Aggies were unanimously selected to hoist a fourth-consecutive WAC regular season conference championship trophy. The news came via a press release issued Tuesday morning in which NM State was chosen as the league favorite in both the Preseason Coaches' and Media Polls.
For the seventh time in the last eight seasons, NM State has been picked as the league favorite by both the media contingent and the WAC coaches. The Aggies have piled up 20 or more wins in each of the last nine seasons, are one of seven teams from around the nation who have won 25 or more games in each of the last three seasons and have made seven appearances in the last eight NCAA Tournaments.
As they did last season, the Aggies received eight of the nine available first place votes in the coaches; poll as well as 64 points. Since coaches could not vote for their own team, Grand Canyon received the other vote and was picked to finish second in the league race with 52 points. UTRGV was tabbed third with 45 points while California Baptist wasn't far behind the Vaqueros after amassing 43 point to be listed fourth. Seattle U (33 points) and league newcomer Tarleton State (31 points) were selected fifth and sixth respectively, putting them ahead of Utah Valley (28 points) who was picked seventh. Dixie State (20 points) and Chicago State (eight points) were tabbed for eighth and ninth place respectively.
Of the 12 available first-place votes in the media poll, the Aggies amassed 10 of them as well as 150 total point to take the top spot on the nine-team list. Behind the Aggies was Grand Canyon, who gathered up 125 points. Mirroring the top five order from the coaches' poll, UTRGV was picked to finish third with 114 points while California Baptist (105 points) secured the remaining two first-place votes and was chosen to finish fourth. Seattle U (84 points) was tabbed to finish fifth while Utah Valley (sixth, 74 points), Dixie State (seventh, 49 points), Tarleton State (eighth, 46 points) and Chicago State (ninth, 18 points) rounded out the poll.
Following a breakout 2019-20 campaign, junior guard Jabari Rice was tabbed the WAC Preseason Player of the Year by both the coaches and the media while also notching a spot on the Preseason All-WAC First Team by the two groups as well. All the Houston, Texas, product did last season was lead the Aggies in total points (384), free throws made (86) and free throw percentage (.827) to finish second on the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game. Rice conjured up impressive shooting splits of .466/.385/.827 throughout the year while averaging 5.1 rebounds per game. Because of that, he earned an All-WAC First Team award at the conclusion of the year.
Johnny McCants, who enters the 2020-21 season with a chance to become the first player in program history to win four consecutive regular season titles, joined Rice on the Preseason All-WAC First Team on both the coaches' and media members lists. One of only four players who took part in all 31 games for the Aggies one season ago, the Las Cruces, N.M., product showed off his versatility on a nightly basis by averaging 9.3 points, a team-leading 6.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.0 steals and a team-best 0.5 blocked shots per game. The team's leader in total minutes (797), McCants generated shooting splits of .580/.403/.538 and posted a pair of double-doubles during NM State's 19-game unbeaten streak to close out the year.
Despite not having played in a single game for the Aggies as of this writing, senior forward Donnie Tillman has already been touted as one of the league's best as he prepares to enter his first - and only - season in Las Cruces. The Detroit, Mich., product earned Preseason All-WAC First Team honors from the coaches as well as Preseason All-WAC Second Team laurels from the media as a result of his power five pedigree. A four-star recruit coming out of high school, Tillman played two seasons at Utah and was named the Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year as a sophomore in 2018-19. Last season, Tillman suited up for UNLV in the Mountain West where he averaged 10.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 25 games.
Upon becoming eligible near the midway point of the previous year, Evan Gilyard II proceeded to help lead the Aggies on a 19-game winning streak to close out the year. A pick for the Preseason All-WAC Second Team by both the coaches and the media, Gilyard II earned a spot on the All-WAC Newcomer Team in 2019-20 and averaged 7.5 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. His three-point field goal percentage of .397 was the second-highest on the team and Gilyard II is primed to begin this season as the Aggies' starting point guard.
NM State has won 34-straight games against WAC opposition and owns a 31-game winning streak in WAC regular season games - the longest winning streak in the history of the league. The Aggies have not yet released their non-conference schedule, but will open up WAC play on Friday, Jan. 8, 2021, at league newbie Dixie State in St. George, Utah.
For complete coverage of NM State men's basketball throughout the 2020-21 season, visit NMStateSports.com - the official home of Aggie athletics - and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Men's Basketball), Twitter (@NMStateMBB) and Instagram (@NMStateMBB).
2020-21 Preseason WAC Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll
Rank. Team (First-place votes | Points
1. NM State (8) | 64
2. Grand Canyon (1) | 52
3. UTRGV | 45
4. California Baptist | 43
5. Seattle U | 33
6. Tarleton State | 31
7. Utah Valley | 28
8. Dixie State | 20
9. Chicago State | 8
2020-21 Preseason Men's Basketball Coaches' All-WAC Teams
First Team
Alessandro Lever, Sr., C, Grand Canyon
Javon Levi, Sr., PG, UT Rio Grande Valley
Johnny McCants, Sr., F, NM State
Jabari Rice, Jr., G, NM State
Donnie Tillman, Sr., F, NM State
Second Team
Jovan Blacksher, So., G, Grand Canyon
Oscar Frayer, Sr., F, Grand Canyon
Riley Grigsby, Jr., G/F, Seattle U
Evan Gilyard, Sr., G, NM State
Hunter Schofield, Sr., F, Dixie State
Preseason Player of the Year
Jabari Rice, Jr., G, NM State
2020-21 Preseason WAC Men's Basketball Media Poll
Rank. Team (First-place votes | Points
1. NM State (10) | 150
2. Grand Canyon | 125
3. UTRGV | 114
4. California Baptist (2) | 105
5. Seattle U | 84
6. Utah Valley | 74
7. Dixie State | 49
8. Tarleton State | 46
9. Chicago State | 18
2020-21 Preseason Men's Basketball Media All-WAC Teams
First Team
Jovan Blacksher, So., G, Grand Canyon
Alessandro Lever, Sr., C, Grand Canyon
Javon Levi, Sr., PG, UT Rio Grande Valley
Johnny McCants, Sr., F, NM State
Jabari Rice, Jr., G, NM State
Second Team
Evan Cole, Gr., F, Utah Valley
Gorjok Gak, Gr., F, California Baptist
Evan Gilyard II, Sr., G, NM State
Hunter Schofield, Sr., F, Dixie State
Donnie Tillman, Sr., F, NM State
Preseason Player of the Year
Jabari Rice, Jr., G, NM State
++NM State++
