NMSUPistolPete
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RE: Games to Watch: WAC 2020-21 Non-Conference Scheduling
(06-09-2020 12:28 PM)PojoaquePosse Wrote: (06-09-2020 12:00 PM)NMSUPistolPete Wrote: (06-09-2020 07:32 AM)RobtheAggie Wrote: (06-08-2020 08:33 PM)NMSUPistolPete Wrote: A product of our own success. No team with name recognition wants to play NMSU in Las Cruces. And, NMSU has beaten Illinois in Chicago, Mississippi State in Jackson, MS, Miami (FL) in a Hawaiian Holiday tournament and gave Kansas a real scare in Kansas City over the last few years. It's becoming dangerous to play NMSU at a neutral site. Now, P5 schools only want play NMSU if they come to their arena or not play NMSU at all. So, quality opponents is becoming slim pickings for NMSU. And, Jans is not just going to play any P5 school without serious compensation or a return game in Las Cruces. So far, NMSU managed to get a neutral site game (in Las Vegas) with Santa Clara of the WCC.
Since the WAC reorganized into its current iteration, and NMSU started on its current run you can look over the years and see non-conference scheduling becoming more difficult for the Aggies to schedule. The AD and head coach do manage to get a decent schedule together. I would love to see a game or two in Georgia (I live there).
2013-2014
Home: UTEP, Northern Colorado, Bethune-Cookman, Prairie View A&M, UNM, NNM, South Alabama
Neutral: Hawai'i. Tennessee St, Western Michigan
Away: UTEP, Colorado St, UNM, Gonzaga, Arizona, Drake
2014-2015
Home: Norhtern Colorado, UTEP, UNM, Stetson, Florida A&M, NNM, Colorado St, Texas Southern UC Irvine, NM Highlands
Neutral:
Away: Wichita State, St Mary's, UTEP, UNM, Wyoming, Oral Roberts, Baylor
2015-2016
Home: Houston Baptist, UNM, UTEP, Tennessee Tech, MVSU, Robert Morris, Wyoming, Oral Roberts, Arizona Christian,
Neutral:
Away: UNM, UTEP, AFA, LBSU, Baylor, Wichita St, UC Irvine
2016-2017
Home:Arizona Christian, Samford, UNM, UTEP, Bethune-Cookman, Nicholls St, AFA, LBSU, UC Irvine, ENMU
Neutral:NNM
Away: Colorado St, UTEP, UNM, San Diego, ASU
2017-2018
Home:East Central, UNM, UTEP, Colorado St, Prairie View, San Diego, ENMU, NNM
Neutral: Illinois, Davidson, Miami, Southern California
Away: Saint Mary's, UNM, UTEP, UC Irnive
2018-2019
Home:NDSU, UTEP, Saint Mary's, ENMU, Washington St, Northern Colorado, CSU-Northridge,
Neutral:Kansas, Drake, Washington State
Away:UNM, UTEP, Colorado St
2020-2021
Home: WNMU, UTEP, UNM, Southern, UAPB, NNM
Neutral: Colorado State, Souther Florida, George Mason, Mississippi St,
Away: UTEP, UNM, Arizona, Washington St, Denver
If you noticed, Chris Jans beefed up the neutral site games on the Aggie schedule simply to be able to play quality opponents in a winnable setting. And, it has paid off with a number of wins. Prior to Jans, both Paul Weir and Menzies accepted traveling to tough places; almost always taking a double digit loss. Although in Weir's one year at NMSU, our Aggies upset Arizona State on their own court. Prior to that, the big knock on Marvin Menzies was he was not a good enough coach to pull off an upset over a quality opponent where the environment was stacked against him. Menzies needed to have equal or superior talent to win games. Which was always the case during his tenure in the WAC. NMSU was simply more talented than the rest of the WAC. Menzies was an excellent recruiter but only a slightly above average courtside tactician. That's the big difference between Chris Jans and any other Aggie coach not named Lou Henson or Neil McCarthy. NMSU has always had very good talent but Jans has finally put traction in NMSU's on-court performance.
A neutral site game, in most cases, is a farce. Playing Kansas in KC, Illinois in Chicago and Mississippi State in Jackson are not really neutral. There is very little difference playing in those cities/venue than playing on the opponents' home court. It doesn't make the game more "winnable".
The other games mentioned were in tournaments. Jans didn't intentionally schedule those games on a neutral court. They were neutral courts for all participants.
Of course these P5 games would be played near the host team; it's just not in their home arena where everything is familiar to them leading up to the game. NMSU doesn't gain any real advantage but it takes the host team a little out of their comfort zone... some travel, unfamiliar court, etc. If it wasn't that big a deal, Jans wouldn't schedule these semi neutral site games; and yet he does. As for the tournaments, I'm not saying he scheduled the specific game at neutral sites tournaments but the he does schedule the tournament because it allows NMSU to play quality opponents on a neutral site. Unless NMSU wants to travel to a P5's venue, a holiday tournament is just about the only way a mid-major like NMSU can meet a P5 school on a more level playing field.
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