Completed Event: Men's Basketball at UNLV on February 7, 2026 , Loss , 78, to, 80
M Basketball
at UNLV
L 78-80
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Mathew McGraw
Insider: NMSU enters GCU mysteriously
1/26/2021 11:33:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
Aggies played 4th game Monday; Jans praises Lopes
There is no mystery about which team must be overcome in a quest to win the WAC – New Mexico State.
There is a bunch of mystery about New Mexico State.
As Grand Canyon (10-3, 4-0 WAC) prepares for Friday and Saturday games against the Aggies (3-1, 0-0 WAC), the Lopes are tasked with deciphering what to make of a preseason WAC favorite with decade-long dominance. New Mexico State, mired in COVID-19 state restrictions and game cancellations, has played one Division I opponent this season and beat Western New Mexico 70-41 on Monday with five players out for various reasons.
"They (the Aggies) are really good," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said on his weekly Tuesday morning appearance on 1580 AM The Fanatic. "They're extremely talented and have a lot of depth of talent. Then, they're really well-coached. They play really hard. Obviously, there's a reason they've won as many conference games as they have in a row (31 or 33, including tournament play)."
The Aggies' Monday afternoon game in El Paso, Texas, was a tenuous effort to arrange, but it came off in the final hours. Otherwise, NMSU would have played one game since Dec. 1 entering the two-game visit to GCU Arena, where the Aggies have won their past three visits.
NMSU has won eight consecutive games against GCU and won 92 of 104 WAC games (88.5%) since the Lopes joined the conference in 2013. But this season's Aggies lost their only Division I game, 66-63, at CSU Northridge on Dec. 1 and had to relocate to a Phoenix hotel for most of the season in order to practice until last week because of New Mexico COVID-19 regulations.
On Tuesday, the rust came off slowly with a 25-23 lead against Division II Western New Mexico before senior guard Evan Gilyard II scored six points in the first half's final second by getting flagrantly fouled on a 3-point shot, making the free throws and hitting a long 3 at the buzzer. NMSU finished on a 47-16 tear between that second and the second half.
"The WAC or the basketball season is not waiting for us, so we've got to jump in and go down to Grand Canyon and play an unbelievable basketball team," Aggies head coach Chris Jans said in the postgame press conference Monday. "They're really, really good. I don't see many weaknesses in them.
"Coach Drew and his staff have walked in and done an excellent job of making that program theirs and putting their stamp on it right away. We'll have more than our hands full to try to figure out how to play against those guys because they've got everything you need to be a really good basketball team so it'll be a heck of a challenge for us."
Preseason WAC Player of the Year Jabari Rice, rehabilitating a right foot fracture, remained in a boot for Tuesday's NMSU game, as was senior guard Clayton Henry. Preseason All-WAC selection Donnie Tillman did not attend the game, but KTSM-TV reported he will be available this week. Jans mentioned that some injuries are short-term ones and others are long-term ones.
Asked if NMSU is ready for its delayed WAC start, Jans said, "To be brutally honest, no, we're not, but we don't have a choice. We'd love to play three or four more games. Then, we'd be in a better position to play a conference-race type of game, especially having to open on the road at a team that's already got four road wins under their belt."
NMSU was led Monday by 6-foot-9 junior forward Wilfried Likayi, who showed his offseason improvement with 20 points and six rebounds. The Aggies added a freshman, former Power 5 recruit Gerald Doakes, over the winter break and he made his debut Tuesday with 11 points in 14 minutes. Another freshman, 6-foot-6 forward Marcus Watson, is expected to be eligible next month.
"They have a lot of guys that have cut down nets and won championships," Drew said. "If there's a team in our conference that could step right out and be really, really good, it would be them because of the experience that their players have in their system and also in our conference."
There is a bunch of mystery about New Mexico State.
As Grand Canyon (10-3, 4-0 WAC) prepares for Friday and Saturday games against the Aggies (3-1, 0-0 WAC), the Lopes are tasked with deciphering what to make of a preseason WAC favorite with decade-long dominance. New Mexico State, mired in COVID-19 state restrictions and game cancellations, has played one Division I opponent this season and beat Western New Mexico 70-41 on Monday with five players out for various reasons.
"They (the Aggies) are really good," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said on his weekly Tuesday morning appearance on 1580 AM The Fanatic. "They're extremely talented and have a lot of depth of talent. Then, they're really well-coached. They play really hard. Obviously, there's a reason they've won as many conference games as they have in a row (31 or 33, including tournament play)."The Aggies' Monday afternoon game in El Paso, Texas, was a tenuous effort to arrange, but it came off in the final hours. Otherwise, NMSU would have played one game since Dec. 1 entering the two-game visit to GCU Arena, where the Aggies have won their past three visits.
NMSU has won eight consecutive games against GCU and won 92 of 104 WAC games (88.5%) since the Lopes joined the conference in 2013. But this season's Aggies lost their only Division I game, 66-63, at CSU Northridge on Dec. 1 and had to relocate to a Phoenix hotel for most of the season in order to practice until last week because of New Mexico COVID-19 regulations.
On Tuesday, the rust came off slowly with a 25-23 lead against Division II Western New Mexico before senior guard Evan Gilyard II scored six points in the first half's final second by getting flagrantly fouled on a 3-point shot, making the free throws and hitting a long 3 at the buzzer. NMSU finished on a 47-16 tear between that second and the second half.
"The WAC or the basketball season is not waiting for us, so we've got to jump in and go down to Grand Canyon and play an unbelievable basketball team," Aggies head coach Chris Jans said in the postgame press conference Monday. "They're really, really good. I don't see many weaknesses in them.
"Coach Drew and his staff have walked in and done an excellent job of making that program theirs and putting their stamp on it right away. We'll have more than our hands full to try to figure out how to play against those guys because they've got everything you need to be a really good basketball team so it'll be a heck of a challenge for us."
Preseason WAC Player of the Year Jabari Rice, rehabilitating a right foot fracture, remained in a boot for Tuesday's NMSU game, as was senior guard Clayton Henry. Preseason All-WAC selection Donnie Tillman did not attend the game, but KTSM-TV reported he will be available this week. Jans mentioned that some injuries are short-term ones and others are long-term ones.
Asked if NMSU is ready for its delayed WAC start, Jans said, "To be brutally honest, no, we're not, but we don't have a choice. We'd love to play three or four more games. Then, we'd be in a better position to play a conference-race type of game, especially having to open on the road at a team that's already got four road wins under their belt."
NMSU was led Monday by 6-foot-9 junior forward Wilfried Likayi, who showed his offseason improvement with 20 points and six rebounds. The Aggies added a freshman, former Power 5 recruit Gerald Doakes, over the winter break and he made his debut Tuesday with 11 points in 14 minutes. Another freshman, 6-foot-6 forward Marcus Watson, is expected to be eligible next month.
"They have a lot of guys that have cut down nets and won championships," Drew said. "If there's a team in our conference that could step right out and be really, really good, it would be them because of the experience that their players have in their system and also in our conference."
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