Three keys for Aggies heading into the WAC Tournament

(Photo by Shari V. Hill/Sun-News)

The Cruces Sports Blog takes a look at the three keys for NMSU entering the WAC Tournament.

• Know your identity: At this point of the year, we all know what the Aggies are as a team. The beginning portion of the year, and the last month of the season, the Aggies have been a good defensive unit, which creates transition opportunities on offense — something NMSU desperately needs. In the halfcourt offense, the Aggies look to pound it inside and clean up on the offensive glass. No need to deviate from the gameplan at this point of the season.

• 3-point shooting: The Aggies just need to shoot the ball at a respectable rate from deep in order to maintain a balanced offense. If they can’t, teams will slow the game down and pack the paint defensively, daring the Aggies to shoot the ball over a zone defense. When the Aggies hit from 3-land, they become a very tough team to beat.

• A focused approach: NMSU is capable of beating anyone in conference — and capable of losing to anyone as well. Simply put though, if the Aggies are focused on their current opponent — which in the opener is Fresno State — and don't look ahead to a possible championship rematch against Nevada, they should be playing for a league title on Saturday night. At that point it will be anyone’s game — and I like the Aggies chances playing in a winner-take-all scenario with a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line.