ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Welcome to the NIT, New Mexico State. It’s still the most prestigious of the non-NCAA postseason basketball events. But it is a lot like a Triple-A baseball game, with a field populated largely by the discontented and disappointed.
The 23-10 Aggie men are in the latter group, certainly, as they travel to play Saint Mary’s in Moraga, Calif., on Tuesday at 9 p.m. (ESPN2).
The Aggies learned their NIT assignment fewer than 20 hours after the 3-point shot that was a shot to their hearts — Dedrick Basile’s 3-pointer at the buzzer that lifted Cal State Bakersfield to a 57-54 victory Saturday night for the Western Athletic Conference tournament title and the league’s lone NCAA bid.