The Kansas University men’s basketball team’s second-round opponent in this year’s NCAA Tournament might be seeded 13 spots lower than the Jayhawks, but the WAC champion New Mexico State Aggies are no strangers to success.

The 15th-seeded Aggies (23-10), whom KU coach Bill Self said he had pegged more in the range of a No. 13 seed, are making their fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAAs and have made the field in five of the past six seasons under head coach Marvin Menzies.

That kind of experience has the Aggies feeling ready to roll for Friday’s 11:15 a.m. tipoff against No. 2 seed Kansas (26-8) at Omaha’s CenturyLink Center.

“While I was hoping we’d get a 13 or 14 seed, it really doesn’t matter,” Menzies said shortly after seeing his team’s draw. “Because when you’re a 13-14-15, you’re playing the big boys.”

While the Aggies, who earned this year’s automatic bid by winning the WAC postseason tournament, have had no problem getting to the dinner table, finishing their meal has been tougher. Menzies and the Aggies are 0-4 in the tournament in four previous trips, with last year’s 73-69, overtime loss to fourth-seeded San Diego State representing the closest they have come to advancing to the next round.

NMSU, a 13 seed the past three seasons and a 12 seed in 2010, was blown out in 2013 by St. Louis, 64-44, and lost by 13 to Indiana in the opening round in 2012.

Two years before that, however, in Menzies’ first trip to the NCAA Tournament with the program, his Aggies nearly knocked off No. 5 seed Michigan State in the first round before falling, 70-67.

Now, in just five days, Menzies and his veteran team will take on the highest-seeded team they’ve faced in the tournament.

“Kansas is one of the storied college programs in the country,” Menzies said. “And we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Experience and the belief they belong clearly will not be an issue for the Aggies. Neither will talent. When the 2015 postseason awards were released by WAC officials last week, they had a significant crimson-and-white hue to them.

NMSU red-shirt freshman Pascal Siakam and senior Daniel Mullings landed on the first team. Menzies was named the conference’s Don Haskins Coach of the Year. And two other Aggies, senior big men Remi Barry and Tshilidzi Nephawe, landed on the All-WAC second team but one-upped that by earning spots on the all-tournament team last week in Las Vegas.

“This shows the depth and the talent of our team,” Menzies said. “This has been a very special team.”

The Aggies enter the NCAA Tournament winners of 13 straight games and on the heels of their fourth consecutive conference tournament title.

New Mexico State rolled to the WAC regular-season title, winning the conference with a 13-1 record by five games over Grand Canyon and Missouri-Kansas City, which tied for second place at 8-6.

New Mexico State played two ranked teams during the 2014-15 season and lost to both, falling to No. 11 Wichita State on the road, 71-54, on Nov. 14 and losing at home, in overtime, to No. 24 Colorado State, 58-57, on Dec. 27.

The Aggies also played an unranked-at-the-time Baylor on Dec. 15, in Waco, Texas, and lost, 66-55, and lost to perennial WCC power St. Mary’s, Mountain West Conference bid stealer Wyoming and twice to in-state rival New Mexico.

NMSU at a glance

Location: Las Cruces, New Mexico

Conference: WAC

Colors: Crimson and White

Mascot: Aggies

Coach: Marvin Menzies, 8th season at NMSU

Bid: Automatic via WAC Tournament title

• Leading scorers: 6-8, Sr. F Remi Barry (13.3), 6-9, RS-Fr. F Pascal Siakam (13.0), 6-2, Sr. G Daniel Mullings (12.6) and 6-10, Sr. C Tshilidzi Nephawe (10.4).

• Leading rebounders: Siakam (7.7), Nephawe (7.6) and Mullings (5.0).

• Leading passers: 6-0, Soph. G Ian Baker (2.8), 6-2, Sr. G DK Eldridge (2.2) and Mullings (2.8 in 21 games).

Marvin Menzies – WAC coach of the year

Pascal Siakam – WAC freshman of the year, all-WAC first team, WAC all-defensive team; WAC all-newcomer team

Daniel Mullings – all-WAC first team; WAC all-defensive team

Tshilidzi Nephawe – WAC Tourney MVP; all-WAC second team

Remi Barry – WAC all-tournament team, all-WAC second team