The Saint Louis Billikens' March tribute to late coach Rick Majerus begins on Thursday, as they take on the New Mexico State Aggies in the second round of the tournament.
March Madness 2013: Game time, TV schedule for Saint Louis vs. New Mexico State
Both Saint Louis and New Mexico State are making a return to the NCAA Tournament, but armed with a higher seed the Billikens are poised and ready to make a deep run.
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Majerus passed away in early December, and the Billikens carried his memory on their back as they finished out the season winning 22 of their final 25 games to take both the Atlanic 10 regular-season title and the tournament championship. The fourth-seeded Billikens are making their second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament after a decade drought in the 2000s.
New Mexico State finished atop the WAC and won the WAC tournament championship to enter the NCAA Tournament as a 13-seed. It is the second consecutive year for the Aggies in the NCAA tournament, but head coach Marvin Menzies is looking for his first win. Since taking over in 2007, he is 0-2 in March.
The Billikens will have to deal with 7'5, 355-pound Sim Bhullar of the Aggies, who patrols the paint to the tune of 2.4 blocks per game. The Aggies have four players averaging double figures in scoring, led by sophomore guard Daniel Mullings at 14 points a game. Saint Louis throws out an experienced starting five, led by junior forward Dwayne Evans' 13.7 points and 7.7 rebounds a game.
That experience may be the deciding factor for the Billikens. New Mexico only played one ranked team all year -- the New Mexico Lobos -- who they lost two twice in one week. Saint Louis' only loss to a ranked team was against the Kansas Jayhawks on Nov. 20, otherwise they beat Butler three times, VCU twice and New Mexico once.
Game time: TV: 2:10 p.m. ET, TNT
Live stream: NCAA.com
Location: HP Pavilion, San Jose, Calif.
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