NCAA Bracket 2012: How New Mexico State Got To March Madness

Mar. 10, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; New Mexico State Aggie guard Daniel Mullings (23) dribbles the ball against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs during the second half of the finals of the WAC tournament at Orleans Arena. The Aggies defeated the Bulldogs 80-57. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE.

After winning the WAC tournament, the New Mexico State Aggies are going dancing. Here's how they did it.

The nation's 11th highest-scoring team, the New Mexico St. Aggies, blew by the competition in the WAC tournament to secure a berth in the NCAA Tournament, and they'll try to ride that offense to a first-round upset. Beating upset-minded Louisiana Tech in the WAC final after wins over Fresno State and Hawaii should give them adequate preparation to try to knock off a higher seed.

The Aggies finished second in the WAC in the regular season and finished with a 26-9 overall record. Their best wins came against intrastate rival New Mexico and the Drake Bulldogs, but they also lost to Hawaii, which finished .500 on the year. Save for that loss to the Warriors, the Aggies have avoided any slip-ups, losing only to talented teams.

Their unquestioned leader is one of the most underrated players in the country, big man Wendell McKines, who averages 18.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. If the Aggies are to make any sort of run in the tournament, they'll need one of those legendary performances from McKines.

As a result, the Aggies earned a No. 13 seed in the South Region. They'll face Indiana, the No. 4 seed, in the first round.

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