The New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team represents New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1904, the Aggies compete in Conference USA after spending 18 seasons in the Western Athletic Conference from 2005 through 2023. The Aggies, who last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2022, are one of 34 college basketball teams with multiple NBA retired jerseys from former players (Sam Lacey and John Williamson) and a team that reached the NCAA Final Four in 1970. The team plays home games in the Pan American Center.

A Lou Henson-coached team gained national attention during the 1970 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament by advancing to the Final Four. In 1992, a Neil McCarthy-coached team advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, though that appearance has since been vacated. Aggie Basketball has seen 26 NCAA tournament appearances, 5 NIT Tournament appearances, 21 regular season conference championships, and 13 conference tournament championships.

History NMSU basketball has seen much success throughout the years, reaching the NCAA Final Four in 1970, the Sweet Sixteen in 1992 among their 23 tournament appearances. Their two most successful coaches were Lou Henson and Neil McCarthy.

Jerry Hines era (1929–1940, '46) Jerry Hines was an outstanding two-sport athlete, the head basketball and head football coach, and the athletic director. During the later 1930s, the Aggie football team was 31–10–6 and the basketball team was 102–36 under Hines. The Aggie basketball team went to several postseason tournaments during this time, including the 1938 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament, and the 1939 National Invitation Tournament in New York City. The Hines era ended at the onset of World War II when he was called to duty in September 1940 as a member of a New Mexico National Guard unit assigned to the 45 Infantry Division. Hines did return for one more Aggie basketball season in 1946–47.

Lou Henson era (1966–1975) Lou Henson played for the Aggies in the 1950s, coached at Las Cruces High School, and came from Hardin-Simmons University to become the head coach. His tenure was the most successful in Aggie history. His 1970 team reached the NCAA tournament Final Four, losing to a John Wooden-coached and eventual champion, UCLA.

Henson led the Aggies to the NCAA tournament in six of his nine years. He left in 1975 for a successful 21-year run at Illinois.

Neil McCarthy (1985–1997) Neil McCarthy came to Las Cruces in 1985 following a successful 10-year run at Weber State. He had built Weber State into a regional power, and was equally successful at New Mexico State. For most of McCarthy's tenure, the Aggies were the second-best team in the Big West, behind UNLV. McCarthy led the Aggies to four straight regular season and tournament titles, including the 1992 Sweet Sixteen run.

Academic Scandal The 1992 Sweet Sixteen run, along with two other NCAA runs in the early 1990s, was scrubbed from the books in 1996 when the NCAA found several players from that team received help on correspondence courses from a coach. Six Aggie players were found to have received help. Without those courses, the players would not have been eligible.1996 NCAA infraction report

The McCarthy era came to a sudden and abrupt end just weeks before the 1997–98 season when new athletic director Jim Paul stripped him of coaching duties, citing the team's poor academic performance. Only nine of McCarthy's players had graduated in 12 years, including only one in the last four.McCarthy out as coach; NMSU turns to Henson. Associated Press, 1997-10-17. McCarthy was originally supposed to serve as an assistant athletic director for the balance of his contract, but instead sued NMSU for wrongful termination—a move that would come back to haunt the school later.Herrerra, Pete. NCAA places New Mexico St. on four years' probation. Associated Press via San Diego Union-Tribune, 2001-06-20.

In 2000, the Aggies were rocked again by a scandal from the McCarthy era. McCarthy had promised to hire a junior college coach as an assistant coach in return for bringing two of his top players to Las Cruces. That coach, Fletcher Cockrell, helped the two players with coursework and exams. The school placed the basketball program on two years' probation and withdrew from postseason consideration during the 2000–01 season. The NCAA imposed an additional four years' probation and forced the Aggies to vacate McCarthy's last season and the first season of Henson's second stint. The NCAA said that the penalties would have been even harsher if the school's former president, the former athletic director and McCarthy had still been at the school.2001 NCAA infraction report

Lou Henson's 2nd run (1997–2004) Henson was lured from retirement to coach the team on an interim basis for the 1997–98 season after McCarthy's ouster. He initially came back because he wanted to help the Aggies during their search for a new head coach. Henson wanted to donate his time, but state law forbade him from coaching the program for free. He ultimately settled for $1 per month. The following season Henson agreed to stay on as head coach on a permanent basis, leading the Aggies back to the NCAA tournament in 1999.

Henson continued to coach the Aggies until being sidelined by non-Hodgkin lymphoma prior to the 2004–05 season. Due to Henson's illness the Aggies were led that year by assistant coach Tony Stubblefield, who guided the squad to a dismal 6–24 record, by far the school's worst season in twenty years. Henson officially announced his retirement from coaching in January 2005, and Stubblefield remained interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Reggie Theus (2005–2007) On March 31, 2005, NMSU hired 13-year NBA veteran Reggie Theus, then an assistant at Louisville under Rick Pitino,ESPN.com – Dick Vitale – Theus ready for first head-coaching gig as head men's basketball coach. In his first season, Theus turned the Aggies from a 6–24 squad in 2004–05 to a 16–14 team in the 2005–06 season as the Aggies moved from the Sun Belt Conference to the Western Athletic Conference. In Theus's second year the Aggies finished the regular season at 22–8, won the WAC tournament on their home floor, and earn an automatic bid to the 2007 NCAA tournament. Following the tournament Theus left NMSU to take over the head coaching position of the NBA's Sacramento Kings.

Marvin Menzies (2007–2016) Marvin Menzies was named as Theus' successor, and like Theus before him, came to NMSU after having been an assistant to Pitino and had no previous Division I head coaching experience. In 2010 the Aggies again won the WAC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA tournament, falling 70–67 in the first round to eventual Final Four participant Michigan State. In 2012 the Aggies once again advanced to the NCAA tournament by winning the WAC Tournament for the third time in six seasons. They continued to appear in the NCAA tournament through 2015. After their 2016 NIT tournament appearance, Marvin Menzies was hired to take over the Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) basketball program.

Paul Weir (2016–2017) Paul Weir served in the role of associate head coach from July 2011 until he was promoted to head coach on April 26, 2016. He helped the Aggies to five WAC Tournament Championships (2010, 2012–2015) and five NCAA tournament appearances. The Aggies have collected three WAC Championships during Weir's tenure. The Aggies have won back-to-back WAC regular season titles in 2015 and 2016 after collecting their first WAC regular season title in 2008. Overall, NM State has collected seven WAC titles during his nine years with the program. Weir left after one season to coach the New Mexico Lobos, a rival of the Aggies.

Chris Jans (2017–2022) Former Bowling Green head coach Chris Jans was named the new head coach of the Aggies on April 17, 2017. He had been serving in an administrative role at Wichita State after being fired from BGSU in 2015 and was promoted to associate head coach of the Shockers just 4 days prior to being hired by NMSU. In his first season at NMSU, The Aggies won 28 games for the second year in a row, and won both the WAC regular season title and conference championship to advance to the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Clemson in the first round. In 2022 New Mexico State won a first round NCAA tournament game against University of Connecticut, before losing to Arkansas. Jans was hired by Mississippi State after the 2022 season.

Greg Heiar (2022–2023) Greg Heiar was named the head coach of the Aggies on March 28, 2022. He was formerly the head coach at Northwest Florida State College, where he won the 2022 NJCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. On February 14, 2023, Greg Heiar was removed as the head coach of New Mexico State men's basketball team due to hazing allegations.

Season-by-season results