LAS CRUCES, Nev. – The Western Athletic Conference Champion New Mexico State Aggies will travel to Moraga, Calif., to face West Coast Conference Co-Champion Saint Mary's on Tuesday night to open the 32-team National Invitation Tournament.
 
The game is set for a 9 p.m. Mountain start and will be televised nationally on ESPN2. NM State Hall of Famer Jack Nixon has the radio broadcast on the Aggie Sports Network.
 
The Aggies (23-10) are the No. 7 seed in the lower quadrant of the bracket, while Saint Mary's (27-5) is the No. 2 seed. Both teams lost in the championship game of their conference tournaments.
 
"We are very happy to continue our postseason play, especially with this young team," said NM State head coach Marvin Menzies. "We'd hoped to get a Wednesday game, but we'll play the cards we've been dealt and leave Monday to play Tuesday."
 
"Saint Mary's has a quality program with a quality staff. Just like us, they had a disappointing finish in the conference tournament. They have a well-oiled machine and coach Randy Bennett does a great job."
 
The Aggies fell to CSU Bakersfield 57-54 on a buzzer beater on Saturday night in the WAC final at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, while the Gaels lost to Gonzaga 85-75 on the same floor in the WCC final last Tuesday night.
 
NM State is making its sixth appearance in the NIT.