WAC rules NMSU's remaining games are forfeits

A day after New Mexico State canceled the remaining games on its men's basketball schedule amid a hazing scandal, the Western Athletic Conference ruled Monday that the unplayed games will be counted as forfeits in the league standings.

The Aggies were due to play at California Baptist on Feb. 11, vs. Abilene Christian on Wednesday, vs. UT Rio Grande Valley on Saturday, vs. Grand Canyon on Feb. 22, at Abilene Christian on March 1 and at Tarleton on March 6.

Each of the other teams will receive credit for a home win in the WAC standings (for conference tournament seeding purposes), regardless of whether those games were to be played at home or on the road. The WAC tournament is scheduled for March 7-11 in Las Vegas.

The NCAA won't count any of the unplayed games as victories in the teams' overall records.

"While there is no perfect solution to this unfortunate situation, I believe we landed in the right place," WAC commissioner Brian Thornton said in a statement. "I applaud our Athletic Directors for working collaboratively with our staff to reach this decision.

"We are in the midst of the best statistical season in the WAC's history, and we wanted to create the most equitable solution that did not unfairly advantage or disadvantage institutions that lost opportunities to improve their standing. Ultimately, every institution will maintain the ability to control their destiny based on the results of their remaining conference contests."

New Mexico State shut down the basketball season and placed the coaching staff on paid leave. The hazing allegations that emerged in the past week are separate from a shooting incident that occurred on Nov. 19 when the Aggies were playing at New Mexico. New Mexico State player Mike Peake reportedly was involved in a shootout in which a UNM student was killed.