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Quote:Expectations for 2018-19

One aspect of New Mexico State that gets little mention is how stout their defense has been. They were a top-15 scoring defense and uses their physicality and toughness to overwhelm more finesse opponents. That defense will be even more important this season, as the Aggies offense will be in question.

Unlike the last few seasons, there’s no clear go-to scorer for the team. Harris isn’t a volume scorer and Chuha may also be limited. And as talented as the JUCO transfers are, it’s never a sure thing that the talent translates to D-1 Basketball, even in the WAC.

One past Aggie team this season looks similar to is the 2014-15 one, who had no individual player average more than 13.2 ppg but had six different guys score at least 8.2 ppg. That kind of balance can be just as good as having a go-to guy, especially since the other teams in the league can’t match that kind of production.

Even if New Mexico State does take a step back, there’s a good chance the other top WAC teams do as well. Seattle keeps top scorer Matej Kavas but loses basically everyone else. Grand Canyon won’t have their program hero Joshua Braun anymore either. And while those teams do bring in some good talent, it’s not as good as what the Aggies have on paper.

Whether someone breaks out, or it’s via a collective effort, look for New Mexico State to continue their winning ways in the WAC. It may be a rougher path than normal but the Aggies should still make their annual trip back to the NCAA Tournament.

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I can understand why NMSU is picked to win the WAC again. Despite constant player personnel and coaching changes, our program has found a way to string together multiple WAC Championships. Jans has a lot work ahead of him. But considering where the Aggie program was over a year ago when Jans was hired, despite the current unknowns, Jans might be in a better situation this season. We will see if he can mold this roster into a WAC Championship team.