Well, at least that one’s out of the way.
In the wake of Wednesday’s 100-79 loss to Kansas University at Allen Fieldhouse, the New Mexico State men’s basketball team can take solace in the fact that it likely won’t be subjected to such a gross height mismatch throughout the rest of the season.
“We’ve got some guys that play big, like (forward) Wendell (McKines),” New Mexico State coach Marvin Menzies said. “With that being said, (in) the WAC conference, you’re not going to line up across from five guys that look like this every night.”
The Aggies (2-3) featured just one player in their starting lineup — forward Troy Gillenwater — who topped 6-foot-7. Conversely, Kansas features four players on its roster 6-8 or taller.
The result, as you can imagine, was not pretty.
The Jayhawks outrebounded New Mexico State, 46-20, including a 20-7 advantage on the offensive glass — figures that very well could have been more lopsided had KU’s 6-11 center Cole Aldrich and 6-8 forward Marcus Morris not spent most of the first half on the bench because of foul trouble.
Even without those two, however, the Jayhawks’ substitutes presented little dropoff in height, and the Aggies weren’t able to keep up, giving up countless offensive rebounds down the stretch that helped the Jayhawks pull away.
The Aggies’ starters managed just seven total rebounds Wednesday. Aldrich, on the other hand, grabbed 13 alone in just 22 minutes.
“He’s a big boy,” said McKines of Aldrich. “He’s pretty skilled, and he just uses his athleticism and his skills and footwork the best I’ve seen from a big man so far.”
McKines, who finished with 13 points and just two rebounds, came into the game expecting a strong foe in Aldrich. What he didn’t expect was a tenacious rebounding effort from the Kansas guards.
“I wouldn’t say (their big) guys were the most frustrating, because every game the 4 and the 5 is going to rebound,” he said of the opposing big forward and center. “What’s impressive about this team is the guards rebound pretty good, as well.”
It’s a fact that — much like the game itself — McKines hopes will stick with the Aggies throughout the rest of the season.
“That’s a lesson for our guards,” he said. “And hopefully our guys will take it and try to pick it up in the rebounding area.”
