The first round loss against Texas left this New Mexico State fan feeling bitter.  But also very proud...

Nobody gave the NMSU Aggies a chance against Kevin Durant and the Longhorns.  And if I would have known the officiating would have been so lopsided and inconsistent, then I wouldn't have either.

But even with everything against them, the Aggies put up one hell of a fight.

The Aggies led most of the first half, but Texas bounced back to earn a 3 point lead by halftime.  Kevin Durant and D.J. Augustin were heating up, and the stage was set for a battle to the end.

But when the second half rolled around, things got a little strange.

For the bulk of the fast-paced first half, the officials let the teams play physically...calling very few fouls.  But in the second half, it was a much different story.  By the end of the game, Kevin Durant was awarded more free-throw attempts than the entire Aggies team (the same Aggies team that led the NATION in free-throw attempts).  Many of those fouls were called with little or no contact - the complete opposite of the first half.

And I wasn't the only one that noticed.  During a key run by the Longhorns, Reggie Theus became agitated with the officials.  He called a timeout to give them an earful, which quickly earned him a technical foul.

After the 5-point swing of Theus' technical, the Aggies responded just as he planned.  They quickly erased a 14-point deficit, sparked by the hot hand of Elijah Ingram.

But the Aggies' hopes were essentially crushed with a little less than 2 minutes left in the game.  On a key possession for NMSU, forward Tyrone Nelson was isolated against Kevin Durant.  Nelson dribbled around to the left, and Durant attempted to block his path.  With one foot still in the air and not planted, Durant initiated contact and drew an inexplicable offensive foul call...which sealed the deal for Texas.

Beyond the Game

I could rant on and on about the officiating of this game...but I'm not going to.  Anyone that watched the game probably saw the same thing that I did.  Yes, Kevin Durant is probably the best player in college.  But he received Michael Jordan treatment from the officiating crew.

I could rant about the tournament seeding...and how a #13 seed should be an insult to a team that consistently received top 25 votes throughout the season.  Am I delusional to think the WAC gets no credit?  I don't think so.  Consider that Nevada went into the last week of the season as the 10th ranked team in the country, but was slapped with a #7 seed for the tournament.

Plenty to rant about?  Maybe.  But there are more important things to say.

Like "thank you"...

Reggie Theus didn't take long to work his magic with this troubled program.  Just 2 years ago, NMSU finished the season with a pitiful 6-24 record.  With a new philosophy and a collection of transfers, Theus transformed this team into something special.

In just 2 seasons of work, Theus created a team that is easy to admire.  First and foremost, this team embraces a hard-nosed defensive philosophy.  The full court pressure and aggressive zone defense creates a perfect foundation for a group of athletic hustle players.

So I say thanks to Reggie Theus and all those NMSU players who gave everything they had.  I enjoyed every single minute of it.