University of Connecticut Athletics
5th-Seeded UConn Meets New Mexico St. In NCAA 1st Round
3/13/2022 9:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NCAA Site Is KeyBank Center In Buffalo, N.Y.
UConn Athletic Communications / March 13, 2022
STORRS, Conn. – If past history is any indication, the UConn men's basketball team has a good chance to have some success in the upcoming NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.
When the tournament bracket was announced on Sunday night, the Huskies (23-9) were named as the 5-seed in the West Region and will be headed to Buffalo, N.Y., to take on 12th-seeded New Mexico State on Thursday at 6:50 p.m. (TNT).
In two of the Huskies' National Championship seasons – 2004 and 2014 – they were sent to Buffalo's KeyBank Center (known as the HSBC Arena in 2004 and the First Niagara Center in 2014) for the first two rounds of the tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16 both times, on their way to the championships. And in four of the Huskies' appearances in the Final Four – 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2011 – they came out of the West Region.
UConn hopes the third NCAA Tournament trip to Buffalo leads to the same kind of luck.
The Huskies are coming off a semifinal finish at the BIG EAST Tournament, which included a 62-52 win over Seton Hall in the quarterfinals and a thrilling 63-60 loss to eventual champion Villanova in the semifinals.
Leading the Huskies into their second straight NCAA appearance, and 35th overall, are double-figure scorers R.J. Cole (15.7), Adama Sanogo (14.9) and Tyrese Martin (13.7). Sanogo (8.Z) and Martin (7.6) are the top rebounders and Cole leads in assists (4.1).
New Mexico State comes out of the Western Athletic Conference, in which they finished first during the regular season and won the conference tournament by defeating Grand Canyon and Abilene Christian. The Aggies (26-6) feature a high-powered offense that shoots .458 overall and .327 from three-point range and averages 24 three-point attempts per game.
The Aggies are led by guard Teddy Allen, a transfer from Nebraska, who averages 19.3 points per game and also tops the team in rebounding at 6.9 per game. Guard Sir'Jabari Rice is also a double-figure scorer at 12.2.
The Huskies and Aggies will be playing the first game of the Thursday evening doubleheader in Buffalo, with fourth-seeded Arkansas meeting No. 13-seed Vermont in the nightcap. The winners will clash in the second round game on Saturday, March 19.
That game's winner will advance to the Sweet 16 at the Chas Center in San Francisco.
