Title tilt rematch offers NCAA trip

Saturday, March 16 \| 7 p.m. (Phoenix time) \| Orleans Arena, Las Vegas

	GRAND CANYON LOPES (20-12)	VS	NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (29-4)

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LAS VEGAS – A year passed but the pain of losing the 2018 WAC Tournament championship game to New Mexico State festers daily for Grand Canyon players, staff and fans.

Two months passed since the gut punch of losing at NMSU on a half-court buzzer shot.

A month passed since GCU left its home floor stung when the Lopes came within a rebound of having a shot to tie or beat the Aggies.

Only the joy of beating NMSU in the WAC Tournament championship game on Saturday night could burn away the hurt of GCU's five consecutive losses to the Aggies. The Lopes (20-12) stored a year of emotional energy and channeled it to their performances in two clutch tourney wins this week at Orleans Arena, where they return for the 7 p.m. title game (Phoenix time) on ESPNU.

"They're terrific," GCU head coach Dan Majerle said of the Aggies (29-4). "Coach (Chris) Jans does an unbelievable job. Our guys have a level of confidence that they know they can beat them. We understand that we're going to have to play really hard to play really well. But there's no reason that these guys don't think that they can come in here and beat them.

"They're such a good team that it's going to take a superior effort from everybody. But I've never counted this team out. We've had three or four chances this year where things weren't going well and we could've shut it down and we didn't do it. We'll come out here (Saturday night) and I can just guarantee you that these guys will play as hard as they possibly can and give it the best effort and that's all I can ask."

There is no mystery about what GCU must do better to try to snap NMSU's 18-game winning streak, the nation's second-longest active one to Wofford (19). Rebound.

The Aggies average nine more rebounds per game than opponents to rank fifth in the nation for margin. In its 67-64 win at GCU on Feb. 9, NMSU shot 32.6 percent on the first shots of possessions but used 14 offensive rebounds that set up easier shots for 27 second-chance points.

"We have to do it," Majerle said of winning the boards (GCU is 18-4 when it does). "The thing that worries me about New Mexico State is they're so deep. And right now, we have such a short rotation and this will be our third game in three nights. I've been playing those guys a lot of minutes. We've got to find a way to get rest and go out and have the game of our lives and just find a way to win it. We keep fighting. That's the good thing."

The Aggies have not had to deal with the scorching-hot version of junior guard Carlos Johnson, who became one of four players in the nation this season to record 30-point games on consecutive nights. Johnson scored 31 points against Seattle on Thursday but that new career high had a 24-hour shelf life because he returned with a 35-point game Friday night against Utah Valley.

Johnson's 35-point game was the most highest-scoring performance in a WAC Tournament game since 1997, when Keith Van Horn scored 37 for champion Utah.

The Phoenix Shadow Mountain High product made 10 of 16 shots from 3-point range in the two wins, continuing his tale of two long-distance seasons – 16.7 percent for the first 16 games, 45.3 percent for the past 16 games.

He scored seven points against NMSU in the teams' last meeting but found his groove the following week and averaged 22.8 points over the past eight games.

"Carlos has been unbelievable," Majerle said. "He's turned it on. The way he's playing right now is fun to watch.
"He got in the gym and worked on that shot. I always told him, 'If you get that 3-point shot down, you're going to be hard to guard because they're going to have to respect that.' "

The Aggies routed Chicago State 86-49 and held off UT Rio Grande Valley 79-72 to reach the WAC final. UTRGV had possession trailing by four with 1:15 to go Friday night but never came closer.

NMSU junior guard Terrell Brown, a high school teammate of Lopes players Oscar Frayer and Damari Milstead, scored a team-high 19 points and has been the Aggies' leading scorer during WAC play (12.9 points per game). But NMSU's success comes from its cast, a 10-man rotation that keeps the Aggies' energy high for rebounding and applying defensive pressure.

NMSU won the WAC Tournament in six of the past seven years. The Lopes are chasing their first regular-season or postseason conference title. This moment is what drew players, especially graduate transfer Michael Finke.

"Playing in the NCAA Tournament is something you dream about as a kid," said Finke, who is averaging 16.0 points in the tournament. "Unfortunately, in past years at Illinois, I've been close but I haven't been able to make it to the tournament. This is something we've worked at every day since we've been here."

They are not alone in their desire to be at Orleans Arena on Saturday night. Thousands of Lopes fans are expected for a rich environment at Orleans Arena with a NMSU crowd that also travels extremely well.

"It's crazy looking up in the stands, seeing all those faces going crazy and seeing my family and my best friends up there," GCU senior guard Trey Drechsel said. "This is what I dreamed about as a kid."

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.

Saturday, March 16 | 7 p.m. (Phoenix time) | Orleans Arena, Las Vegas

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Players Mentioned

Trey Drechsel

Michael Finke

Oscar Frayer

Carlos Johnson

Damari Milstead

Grand Canyon University Athletics