LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The defending undisputed Western Athletic Conference Champion and four-consecutive WAC Tournament Champion NM State Aggies (6-5) return to the Pan American Center on Monday night to face Oral Roberts (8-5) of the Summit League at 7 p.m. The Aggies are coming off Saturday's 73-53 series sweep at I-10 Rival UTEP, while the Golden Eagles dropped their third straight Saturday at LSU 100-77.
 
SERIES RECORD: This is the second meeting between NM State and Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles won the first meeting between the schools 86-83 last season at the Mabee Center in Tulsa on Dec. 13, 2014. It is the first trip to Las Cruces for ORU.
 
MEDIA COVERAGE: Saturday's game can be heard live on the Aggie Sports Network and over the Las Cruces radio airwaves on KWML, 570AM with NM State Hall of Famer Jack Nixon on the call.
 
The game will be televised by AggieVision with Adam Young (play-by-play) and Patrick Knapp (analyst). The telecast will be carried by Comcast Cable in New Mexico and also air live on Fox Sports Arizona Plus (DirecTV 686-1, Dish 448/9518), Fox Sports Southwest Plus (DirecTV 676-2, Dish 447/9517), Fox College Sports, Altitude 2 (DirecTV 681-1) and ESPN3.
 
LIVE STATS ON THE WEB: Live stats are available for most games at www.nmstatesports.com at no cost all season long and.
 
ABOUT THE AGGIES: NM State snapped a three-game skid with Saturday's 73-53 win at UTEP. The victory was the largest margin over the Miners in El Paso since a 61-38 triumph on Dec. 30, 1974 and the largest win margin ever at the Don Haskins Center.
 
Saturday's win at UTEP was also the Aggies first non-conference road win since Dec. 17, 2013 when NM State won at New Mexico 67-61.
 
NM State dropped its second game at home this season with the 62-59 defeat by Wyoming. NM State had its 11-game winning streak at the Pan American Center was snapped with the 83-74 loss to New Mexico on Nov. 15 and had won four more before the loss to the Cowboys. Still, since the start of the 2012-13 season, the Aggies sport a 49-6 record at the Pan Am (.891).
 
In the last 62 contests played by NM State at the Pan Am, the Aggies are 56-6 (.903).
 
After not scoring a 3-point field goal at UNM on Wednesday, the Aggies scored a season-best 11 3-pointers at UTEP. The Aggies were 11-of-19 for a season-best 57.9 percent from the arc.
 
Junior Ian Baker bounced back from being clobbered out of the UNM game with a career-high 26 point game at UTEP. He led the Aggie barrage from the 3-point arc, scoring a career-best six and hitting 6-of-7 from long range.
 
Baker was selected a Preseason All-WAC First Team by both the coaches and media. Currently, he is sixth in the WAC in scoring (15.2 ppg), third in 3-point field goals (2.64 pg) and seventh in assists (3.55 apg).
 
Sophomore Pascal Siakam tallied the first 20-20 game in 13 seasons with his 24 points and 23 rebounds in a win over UTEP on Dec. 2. It's the most rebounds for an Aggie since Chris Jackson's 23 at North Texas on Feb. 1, 2003.
 
Siakam was named the WAC Player of the Week the first three weeks of this season. He is second in the nation in field goals made (97), 12th nationally in scoring (22.5 ppg), sixth in rebounding (12.2 rpg) and second in double-doubles (9). He's 59th in blocked shots (2.00) and 45th in minutes played (35.36). He leads the WAC in all six categories as well.
 
Siakam collected his second 30-point game with his 35 points (with 13 rebounds) against Robert Morris. He becomes the first Aggie to post multiple 30-point games in the same season since Troy Gillenwater had four in 2010-11. His first was 30 points against Tennessee Tech when he became the first Aggie to score 30 since Daniel Mullings on Jan. 25, 2014 scored 32 at UT Pan American (now UT Rio Grande Valley).
 
Siakam has not double-doubled only twice this season, both times against New Mexico. He had 23 points and eight rebounds on Nov. 15, with 21 points and four boards on Dec. 16.
 
The Aggies posted a 23-11 campaign in 2014-15 that included a 13-1 WAC record and the outright regular season championship. They won a record fourth consecutive WAC Tournament. No other program in the history of the Western Athletic Conference has ever won more than two straight tournaments.
 
The Aggies are also coming off appearing in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments, and five in the last six seasons. The Ags are aiming to match the school record of five straight appearances set first from 1967-to-1971 under Lou Henson and then again from 1990-to-1994 under Neil McCarthy.
 
Junior Ian Baker, a Preseason All-WAC First Team by both the coaches and media, is questionable for the game after his injury at UNM. Currently, Baker is eighth in the WAC in scoring (14.1 ppg), fifth in 3-point field goals (2.30 pg) and seventh in assists (3.40 apg).
 
Of the 14 players on the NM State roster, nine are from countries other than the United States.  Four players are from Toronto, Canada, with two from France, one from Cameroon, one from Colombia, and one from Mexico.
 
MENZIES MARKS: Now in his ninth season at New Mexico State, head coach Marvin Menzies is the Dean of WAC Coaches. Menzies is writing himself into the annals of NM State history. With a record of 181-105, Menzies is third on the all-time win list for NM State Coaches. He's reached the 175 win mark faster than the two men in front of him on the win list: Hall of Famer Lou Henson and Neil McCarthy. Henson (1966-75, 1997-2005) leads the group with 289 wins on the Aggie bench (289-152, 16 years). McCarthy (1985-97) has 229 victories (229-114, 12 years). He passed UNM's Bob King (1962-72) for ninth on the WAC all-games win list at 176 with the win over Houston Baptist. He's ninth on the win list for WAC only games with 90, and is third in WAC only winning percentage at .714 in front of the late Jerry Tarkanian at Fresno State (1995-2002). Even with all the winning, Menzies collected his first Don Haskins WAC Coach of the Year Award last year when the Aggies won the regular season by five games. Menzies was named one of Forbes' top 25 college coaches for the money in November 2014.
 
SUPER SOPHOMORE SIAKAM: Sophomore Pascal Siakam is making a national name for himself with his strong play in the first third of the season. Selected the WAC Preseason Player of the Year by the media, Siakam is second in the nation in field goals made (97) and double-doubles (9), sixth in rebounding (12.2 rpg), 11th in scoring (22.5 ppg), 59th in blocked shots (2.00) and 45th in minutes played (35.36), leading the WAC in all. He is the leading scorer of the 27 NCAA Division I players averaging a double-double (as of Sunday). Siakam also has the top two of the top three scoring games in the WAC this year. Siakam became the first Aggie to post a 20-rebound game in 13 years when he recorded the program's 10th 20-20 game with a 24-point, 23-rebound game against UTEP. Chris Jackson had the last of both on Feb. 1, 2003 when he posted 20 points and 23 boards at North Texas. The 23 boards are tied for the seventh most in a game in program history and are the most in NCAA Division I this season. They were also the most in the WAC since Paul Millsap of Louisiana Tech had 28 against San Jose State on Feb. 15, 2006. In the second game against UTEP he collected 14 points and 10 rebounds for his ninth double-double and 16th of his career. Siakam became the first person ever to be selected as the WAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week in three consecutive weeks with his selection in the first three weeks. The 6-9 forward from Douala, Cameroon, established a new career-high when he dropped 35 points on Robert Morris to go with 13 rebounds. He followed it with 26 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high six blocked shots at Air Force. The 35 points are the most since Justin Hawkins scored 37 against Hawaii at the Pan Am on March 8, 2008. He is also the first Aggie to post multiple 30-point games in a season since Troy Gillenwater in 2010-11. He had 30 against Tennessee Tech, becoming the first Aggie to score 30 since Daniel Mullings had 32 against Texas-Pan American (UT Rio Grande Valley) on Jan. 25, 2014. He also chalked up 11 rebounds and set a career-best with four assists. There have been 14 back-to-back Men's Players of the Week in the WAC (including Siakam), and the closest to three straight were three in four weeks done by San Diego State's Michael Cage in 1983-84 and NM State's Daniel Mullings in 2013-14. The league's Freshman of the Year in 2014-15, Siakam was a first team All-WAC selection as a freshman and was honored as a first team NABC All-District VII performer last season. In just under a season and a half, he has 684 career points and 396 career rebounds. He also has 83 career blocked shots ranking ninth on the Aggie career list passing Martin Iti (2006-08) and Troy Gillenwater (2008-11) with 82.
 
THIS BAKER DELIVERS: Junior Ian Baker is a tough and vital leader for the Aggies. He went down in the 10th minute at New Mexico on Wednesday after running head-first into a blind screen and couldn't return. He was cleared Saturday morning to play at UTEP that night and turned in a career performance with 26 points, including going 6-of-7 from the 3-point arc. The second leading scorer on the team, the 6-0 guard from Washington, D.C., is averaging 15.2 points a contest, sixth in the WAC. He's also fourth in the WAC in free throw shooting, hitting 81.3 percent from the line (26-of-32). He's third in the league in 3-pointers per game (2.64), sixth in 3-point percentage (.420, 29-of-69) and seventh in assists (3.55). He scored 22 points in the first UTEP game and 20 vs. Wyoming after picking up 17 points at Air Force with a career-high eight rebounds. Baker also popped for 19 points in consecutive games against New Mexico and Tennessee Tech. The elder statesman of the team, Baker was named Preseason First Team All-WAC by both the coaches and the media.
 
TALENTED TAYLOR: Sophomore Matt Taylor has stepped up his workmanlike play for the Aggies. The 6-5 guard from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is averaging 5.5 points a contest, with 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game for NM State. He's also got six blocks on the season, averaging 0.55 per game. Taylor scored a career-best nine points at UTEP on Saturday, and collected a career-high eight assists. It's the second time this season Taylor had nine against the Miners. In his first starting season, he is one of three Aggies who have starts in all 11 games.
 
HENSON INDUCTED: Aggie Legend Lou Henson was officially inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame on Nov. 20 as part of a class of eight individuals, including three coaches, who formed the NCB Class of 2015 at the College Basketball Experience in Kansas City, Mo. Henson had a 41-year career as a collegiate head coach, all at the NCAA Division I level, posting a record of 779-412 with a 65.4 winning percentage. He's the all-time winningest coach at both New Mexico State and Illinois, and started his career at Hardin-Simmons. Henson, a 1955 graduate of NM State, coached 16 years in two stints for his alma mater, posting a 289-152 record. He also tallied a 423-224 mark in 21 years at Illinois and amassed a 67-36 record in four seasons at HSU. He is currently 11th all-time in career Division I victories, and was sixth on that list when he fully retired from the floor in January of 2005. Henson is one of only 12 coaches to take two different schools to the Final Four.
 
THE FAVORITE: New Mexico State is the prohibitive favorite to win the Western Athletic Conference by both the league's coaches and the media.  The media went on to name sophomore forward Pascal Siakam as the league's preseason player of the year.
 
The Aggies received seven of the eight first place votes and 49 points from the coaches, the most they could receive since they couldn't vote for their own team or players.  Grand Canyon was second with 39 points and CSU Bakersfield third with 36 and the other first place vote.
 
The media, with no voting restrictions, picked up 13 of the 14 first place votes and was third on the ballot that gave CSU Bakersfield a first place vote for a total of 110 points.
 
The media gave Grand Canyon second with 88 and Missouri-Kansas City third with 87.
 
Siakam and junior guard Ian Baker were the Aggies selected on both the Coaches and Media's Preseason All-WAC first team. Siakam was the media's preseason player of the year, while UMKC's Martez Harrison was the coaches preseason player of the year.
 
LOOKING BACK: The New Mexico State Aggies snapped a three-game losing skid by sweeping the I-10 Rivalry series with a 73-53 victory at UTEP in the Don Haskins Center. The Aggies have won three straight against the Miners and won six of the last seven meetings.
 
Ian Baker hit 6-of-7 from the 3-point arc on his way to a career-high 26 points, while Pascal Siakam scored 14 points with 10 rebounds to double-double for the ninth time this season and Jalyn Pennie hit 4-of-7 from the 3-point arc to have a career-high 14 points as well with eight boards. Matt Taylor equaled a career-high with nine points and just missed a double-double with a career-high eight assists.
 
The Aggies shot 49 percent from the floor and held UTEP to 35 percent. The Aggies out rebounded the Miners 38-27.
 
ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES: Oral Roberts is 8-5 on the season after losing 100-77 at LSU on Saturday and has dropped three straight. The Golden Eagles are led by guard Obi Emegano (6-3, Sr., Edmond, Okla.) who is 11th nationally averaging 22.8 points, with 4.5 rebounds while shooting .416 from the 3-point arc. Guard Jalen Bradley (6-1, Jr., Norfolk, Neb.) adds 10.2 points, 2.8 boards and 2.6 assists per contest. Center Albert Owens (6-9, So., Cedar Hill, Texas) averages 10.2 points, 5.6 boards and 1.7 blocked shots, with forward Brandon Conley (6-7, Sr., Fort Worth, Texas) chipping in 8.5 points and leading the team with 7.3 rebounds an outing. ORU is scoring 79.0 points a game, and allowing 78.2 per contest.
 
CHALLENGING STRETCH: The Aggies started tough holiday campaign last Sunday that leads them to Western Athletic Conference play. NM State fell to Wyoming and UNM before winning at UTEP last week and now hosts Oral Roberts on Monday. The Aggies then visit No. 16/14 Baylor on Dec. 23. After Christmas, it's at Wichita State on Dec. 28 (receiving votes in the polls), back home for NAIA No. 4 Arizona Christian on Dec. 30 before a trip to UC Irvine on Jan. 2.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Aggies play their third game in five days as they travel to Waco, Texas to face the Big 12's Baylor Bears at the Farrell Center.
 
The Bears are 8-2 on the season after losing Saturday at Texas A&M 80-61, snapping a seven-game winning streak. The Bears are led by forward Rico Gathers (6-8, Sr., LaPlace, La.) who is one of 27 nationally averaging a double-double with 14.9 points and 11.8 rebounds, to go with 1.0 blocks a game. Forward Taurean Prince (6-7, Sr., San Antonio, Texas) adds 14.6 points, 5.9 boards and 1.6 3-pointers per contest. Guard Al Freeman (6-3, So., Charlotte, N.C.) averages 12.7 points, 3.6 boards and 1.9 treys, with forward Johnathan Motley (6-9, So., Houston, Texas) chipping in 12.5 points and 4.9 rebounds an outing. Guard Lester Medford (5-10, Sr., Tucson, Ariz.) averages 7.7 points with 6.4 assists and 2.7 steals. Baylor is scoring 82.4 points a game, and allowing 63.1 per contest.