The UTRGV men’s basketball team picked up a 77-76 win against Grand Canyon on the road Wednesday to improve to 13-14 overall and 5-10 in Western Athletic Conference play.
The Vaqueros were scheduled to face New Mexico State at 8 p.m. Saturday, but New Mexico State suspended the remainder of its 2022-23 men’s basketball season Feb. 12 after allegations of hazing within the program came to light, resulting in the firing of first-year head coach Greg Heiar.
The WAC ruled each of New Mexico State’s six remaining games against conference opponents, which includes UTRGV, Abilene Christian, California Baptist, Grand Canyon and Tarleton, have been deemed forfeits in regard to conference standings and seeding for the WAC men’s basketball tournament.
Each of the listed New Mexico State opponents have immediately received corresponding conference wins in the WAC standings and will be credited with the equivalent value of a home win for each remaining game against New Mexico State in the WAC resume seeding system, according to a news release from the WAC.
“While there is no perfect solution to this unfortunate situation, I believe we landed in the right place,” WAC commissioner Brian Thornton said in the release. “I applaud our athletic directors for working collaboratively with our staff to reach this decision.”
New Mexico State is the defending WAC men’s basketball champion and earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament last season, when the Aggies defeated Connecticut in the first round of the tourney.
As of Feb. 13, UTRGV is the No. 11-team in the WAC men’s basketball resume seeding system. The top 12 teams qualify for the 2023 Hercules Tires WAC Men’s Basketball Tournament on March 6-11 in Las Vegas.
The hazing allegations within the New Mexico State men’s basketball team come months after a Nov. 19 shooting incident on New Mexico’s Albuquerque campus that left New Mexico State basketball player Mike Peake with a gunshot wound and New Mexico student Brandon Travis dead. New Mexico State stated the hazing allegations had nothing to do with the Nov. 19 incident involving Peake.
“The Western Athletic Conference is committed to both the mental and physical well-being of all of our student-athletes. We are saddened and disappointed that hazing continues to be a part of our society at any level,” Thornton said in a Feb. 12 news release.