LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State men's basketball team opens a three-game homestand beginning this Wednesday, Nov. 30, against Air Force at 7:30 p.m. (MT) and will conclude with Battle of I-25 rival New Mexico on Saturday, Dec. 10.
 
DOUBLE UP!
Wednesday's game will also serve as a doubleheader with women's basketball as they look to even the series up with New Mexico at 5:30 p.m. prior to the men's game.
 
GET CONNECTED
Get up to the minute information and news about the NM State men's basketball team all season on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by following @AggieArmy.
 
LISTEN UP!
Aggie fans that can't make it to the game can listen to NM State Athletics/US Bank Hall of Famer Jack Nixon on 99.5 Zia Country or listen to the game live with their mobile or tablet device on the TuneIn app for free. In addition, fans can listen to the game on the following affiliate stations:
 
Alamagordo      103.7 FM KNMZ
Albuquerque     101.7 FM KQTM
Carlsbad           1240 AM KAMQ
Gallup               1230 AM, 94.9 FM KYVA
Las Vegas         107.1 FM KMDS
 
GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
vs. Air Force
The World-Famous Red Panda act will be coming to Pan American Center this Wednesday and will perform at halftime for BOTH the men's and women's games.
 
vs. Long Beach State
Three days later, the first 1,000 fans can get their hands on the second installment in the Aggie snapback hat giveaway on Saturday, Dec. 3, when NM State hosts Long Beach State.
 
WOMEN'S CLINIC
Be sure to join head men's basketball coach Paul Weir and his wife, Alma, next Tuesday, Dec. 6, as they host the women's basketball clinic at the Pan American Center practice gym. For $30, participants can enjoy an evening filled with basketball, friends and fun with fellow Aggie fans. The event includes a chalk talk, tour of NM State basketball facilities, Q&A session, meet & greet with the current team and staff, on-court drills, appetizers, wine and much more! Proceeds will go towards tickets for youth in the City of Las Cruces.
 
Aggie fans can sign up for the event by clicking here. For more information, call Nicole Gomez at 575-646-8050 or by email at nicolemg@nmsu.edu.
 
KNIGHTS LEAD THE WAY
The Oñate High School Choir under the direction of Mr. Ryan Fellman will be signing the national anthem for Wednesday night's non-conference battle against Air Force.
 
AGGIELAND DELIGHT
Seven games into the season, Ian Baker (13.3), Sidy N'Dir (12.9) and Braxton Huggins (12.4) paces NM State with all three averaging in double-figures.
 
Meanwhile, Eli Chuha (6.6) and Jemerrio Jones (5.3) guide the Aggies on the glass while Tanveer Bhullar checks in with 4.8 boards per game.
 
N'Dir and Jones are tied for the team lead with 15 assists while Matt Taylor (13) and Huggins (10) rounds out the list of players with double-digit assists. Jones paces NM State in the steals category, picking opponents off 11 times so far to Baker's 10.
 
Huggins has been a deadly shooter for NM State beyond the arc, knocking down 16-of-28 attempts for a .571 shooting clip.
 
BAKER NEARS 1,000 POINT CLUB
Aggie floor general Ian Baker currently sits at 940 career points as he prepares to suit up for his 94th-career game in the Crimson & White. Baker, a Washington, D.C., product will become the 33rd player to join the 1,000 point club in program history when he reaches that plateau. He will be the fourth Aggie in the last three seasons to join the 1,000. Other players that recently joined the 1,000 point club include Pascal Siakam (1,126, 2014-16), Tshilidzi Nephawe (1,087, 2011-15) and Daniel Mullings (1,677, 2012-15).
 
AIR FORCE LANDS IN LAS CRUCES
New Mexico State is 2-4 all-time against Air Force heading into Wednesday's match-up. Like the Aggies, the Falcons are 5-2 overall on the year after starting the season 5-0 at home. The two losses for AFA came recently against Akron (84-75) and East Carolina (70-63) in the Savannah Invitational.
 
Center Frank Toohey leads the group of four Falcons that are averaging in double-figures with 12.6 points and a .529 shooting clip. Fellow junior Jacob Van is right on his tails with 12.3 points per game and a team-high 25 assists to go with his 50-percent shooting from the floor. Hayden Graham, a senior forward, is averaging 12 points with a team-high 5.3 boards per game. Zach Kocur rounds out the group of double-digit scorers for Air Force, checking in with 10.4 points per game and a team-leading 14 shots from deep.
 
Coming off the bench for the Falcons is Ryan Manning, who is averaging 9.1 points with a .558 shooting percentage. The 6-6 forward is also second on the team in the 3-point field-goal category with 13 shots made from beyond the arc.
 
The Aggies dropped last year's meeting 66-64 in overtime in Colorado Springs, Colo., in the final game of the Air Force Classic. Jalyn Pennie hit the second of his two free throws to tie the game up in regulation. After going up two on a pair of buckets at the line from Johnathon Wilkins, AFA tied things up with a two of their own. A jumper later from Kocur gave the Falcons a two-point lead before former Aggie Pascal Siakam completed an and-1 opportunity to go up 64-63. However, a short jumper by the Falcons and turnover by the Aggies with two seconds remaining secured the 66-64 win for Air Force.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Despite a shooting slumped that bled into the opening minutes of the second-half, the NM State men's basketball team was able to claw back from an eight-point deficit and defeat San Diego 56-51. Jemerrio Jones led the Aggies' resurgence with 14 second-half points on 6-of-10 shooting while Ian Baker and Braxton Huggins chipped in with 15 and 11 points, respectively. The win on Saturday made NM State the de-facto champions of the San Diego Classic, going 4-0, with wins over Samford, Bethune-Cookman, Nicholls State and the host, Toreros.
 
Saturday's win over USD was NM State's first road victory of the season under first-year head coach Paul Weir. It was also the Aggies' first road victory against a non-rivalry, non-conference opponent since 2013 against Drake – an 81-69 affair in favor of New Mexico State.
 
AGGIES ISLAND BOUND
The 2017 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic field has been set which includes NM State. The field for the eighth annual event to be played on Dec. 22, 23 and 25 includes Akron, Davidson, Miami, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State, USC, Utah State and Hawai'i.
 
Four of the teams in the field participated in the 2016 NCAA Tournament while NM State participated in the 2016 NIT.
 
For more additional information can be found on the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic's official website at www.hawaiianairlinesdiamondheadclassic.com.
 
GUESS WHO'S BACK!?
The NM State men's basketball team is set to return to the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, N.M., as it takes on Northern New Mexico on Monday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. This is the second time in as many years the Aggies will be playing the Eagles in Rio Rancho.
 
This is the second year the Aggies will take the court at the Santa Ana Star Center. Last February, nearly 2,500 fans watched New Mexico State clinch an 85-54 victory over Northern New Mexico at the neutral-site venue.
 
Reserved seats start at $10, with center court seats going for $20 and a limited number of courtside seats available at $50.
 
Ticket reservations are now being accepted by NM State at the Pan American Center Ticket Office, either in person or by calling (575) 646-1420. Fans can also order tickets through Santa Ana Star Center starting 10:00 AM Friday, December 2 by calling 888.694.4849, online at SantaAnaStarCenter.com, or in person at Don Chalmers Ford Box Office at Santa Ana Star Center.
 
UP NEXT
NM State continues its homestand on Saturday, Dec. 3, when it plays host to former Big West rival Long Beach State for a 7 p.m. tip-off. The Aggies lead the all-time series 21-19 and 13-4 when playing the 49ers in the Pan American Center. NM State will also look to halt a two-game skid against LBSU when the two team's square off.