1978–79 New Mexico State Aggies basketball team


The 1978–79 New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team represented New Mexico State University in the 1978–79 college basketball season. This was Ken Hayes's 5th season as head coach. The Aggies played their home games at Pan American Center and competed in the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 22–10, 11–5 in MVC play. Though they finished second in the conference standings, the Aggies were five games behind Larry Bird's No. 1 Indiana State Sycamores. They earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, but fell in the first round to Weber State, a team they had beaten earlier in the season, 81–78 in overtime.

1978–79 New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball
NCAA tournament, first round
ConferenceMissouri Valley Conference
Record22–10 (11–5 MVC)
Head coach
Home arenaPan American Center
Seasons
1978–79 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 Indiana State 16 0   1.000 33 1   .971
New Mexico State 11 5   .688 22 10   .688
Wichita State 8 8   .500 14 14   .500
Creighton 8 8   .500 14 13   .519
Southern Illinois 8 8   .500 15 13   .536
Drake 8 8   .500 15 12   .556
Tulsa 7 9   .438 13 14   .481
West Texas State 3 13   .188 8 19   .296
Bradley 3 13   .188 9 17   .346
1979 MVC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Roster

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1978–79 New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
C Albert Slab Jones 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Jr
F Robert Gunn 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Sr
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

[1]

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Jan 15, 1979*
at No. 5 Indiana State L 69–73  8–5
Hulman Center (10,226)
Terre Haute, Indiana
Feb 1, 1979*
No. 2 Indiana State L 89–91  12–6
Pan American Center 
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Feb 3, 1979*
at Creighton L 71–77  12–7
Omaha Civic Auditorium 
Omaha, Nebraska
MVC tournament
Feb 27, 1979*
Tulsa
Quarterfinals
W 82–79  20–8
Pan American Center 
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Mar 1, 1979*
Wichita State
Semifinals
W 85–81  21–8
Pan American Center 
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Mar 3, 1979*
at No. 1 Indiana State
Championship game
L 59–69  22–9
Hulman Center 
Terre Haute, Indiana
NCAA tournament
Mar 9, 1979*
(10 MW) vs. (7 MW) Weber State
First round
L 78–81 OT 22–10
Allen Fieldhouse 
Lawrence, Kansas
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest.
All times are in Mountain Time.

[2]

References

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  1. ^ "1978-79 New Mexico State Aggies Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  2. ^ "2019–20 New Mexico State Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). New Mexico State University Athletics. Retrieved February 20, 2023.