New Mexico State wins 2013 WAC tournament

For the most part, the game went back-and-forth. The Aggies appear to have put this game away early when they went up 51-38 with 11:55 left in the second half, but the Mavericks came storming back to make things interesting. A 13-4 run by Texas-Arlington cut the Aggies’ lead down to 55-51 with 4:30 to go in the game, but that was as close as the Mavericks got. New Mexico State would make enough free throws at the end to punch their ticket to the Big Dance.

The undisputed star of the show was freshman Sim Bhullar. The 7’5 355 center proved that he’s more than just a big body, leading the Aggies with 16 points, 15 rebounds and five vicious blocks. He was a true man among boys, and it will be a blast to watch him in the tournament.

This will be the Aggies’ 17th trip to the dance and their second in a row. Last season, they fell to Indiana in the first round as a No. 13 seed. Look for them to get another double-digit seed, although they should avoid the dreaded trip to Dayton.

• Your Bracketology update

• The life and death of Earl Badu

• Full coverage of the ACC tournament

• Full coverage of the Big East tournament

• Full coverage of the Big Ten tournament