LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Winners of 13-consecutive games, the New Mexico State men's basketball team returns home for a crucial three-game homestand. Grand Canyon will be NM State's first road block when the two budding rivals tip off at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 12, with KVIA serving as the media sponsor.
 
Adam Young (@youngpbp) will have the call for Aggie fans on the ESPN3 broadcast while former NM State assistant coach Rus Bradburd serves as the analyst. Fans can watch the game online or with the WatchESPN app on a variety of devices.
 
The 13-game winning-streak for NM State is currently tied with Oregon for the nation's second-longest winning-streak through Thursday night's games and trails just Gonzaga (15) and Kansas (15).
 
GAMEDAY PROMOTION
Thursday night's game will be the third installment of the Aggie snapback hat series. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will get their hands on this special edition hat! There will also be a baby race at halftime sponsored by State Farm.
 
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 Saturday night on 99.5 Zia Country and affiliate stations. Fans can also listen to the game live with their mobile or tablet device on the TuneIn app for free. The game will be available on following affiliate stations as well:
 
Alamogordo      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
 
WHERE TO WATCH
In addition to Friday's action against the Lopes on ESPN3, fans can catch the game LIVE on FOX Sports Arizona PLUS and ESPN College Extra. 
 
ALL Times Mountain
FOX Sports Arizona PLUS (LIVE)
DISH: SD – 443, HD – 9581 | DISH Hopper: 412-13 | DTV: 686-1
 
ESPN College Extra (LIVE)
DISH: 415 | DTV: 791 (Channels could vary, see programming or cable provider)
 
FOX Sports Arizona (Replay)
Friday, Jan. 13, at 2 a.m.
Friday, Jan. 13 at 11 a.m.
DISH: 415 | DTV: 686
 
FOX Sports Southwest (Delay)
Friday, Jan. 13, at 6 a.m.
DISH: 416 | DTV: 676
 
FOX College Sports Pacific (Delay)
Friday, Jan. 13 at 8 a.m.
DTV: 608 | DISH: 451 (May differ in different regions)
 
FOX College Sports Central (Delay)
Friday, Jan. 13 at Noon
DTV: 608-1 | DISH: 446 (May differ in different regions)
 
WAC MINI PLAN PACK
With six home games remaining after Thursday, all of which are conference contests, Aggie fans can select four of the remaining six games to attend for just $50 for a savings of $22. Fans choosing to buy adjacent seats for the Four for $50 WAC mini-pack will not be required to make an AAC donation for the designated seats. Games selected in the mini-pack can't be purchased on game day.
 
For more information, please visit the Pan American Center box office or call 575-646-1420.
 
PACK THE PAN AM
It's not too early to get your tickets and be a part of history as NM State hosts its Pack the Pan Am against UMKC on Jan. 21. Lower bowl tickets will be $10 while upper bowl tickets are $5. To get your tickets in advance, call the Pan American Center ticket box office at 575-646-1420.
 
UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
On Saturday, Jan. 14, the Mascot Madness game returns to the Pan American Center for its halftime game during the game against CSU Bakersfield. The following Saturday, Jan. 21, will be the third chance Aggie fans can get into the game with the 4-for-$40 deal where they'll get four tickets, four soft drinks and four hot dogs for just $40! Fans can take advantage of the deal in advance by purchasing the 4-for-$40 pack at the Pan American Center ticket office or by calling 575-646-1420.
 
BUDDING RIVALS READY FOR BATTLE
When Grand Canyon and its 300 odd students arrive in Las Cruces, New Mexico State will be riding a 13-game winning-streak, a 19-game home win-streak and a 35-game home win-streak in WAC play. The Lopes, however, have won five of their last six and have lost four-straight in the Pan American Center, including a 70-50 routing last season.
 
NM State is 6-1 all-time against GCU and looks to build upon that when the two teams square off on Thursday. Grand Canyon will have the services of Joshua Braun when the two teams take the court after sitting out with an injury for half of the non-conference slate.
 
GCU is led by DeWayne Russell, who is averaging a WAC-leading 23.9 points per game while Braun checks in with 16.9 points per game. Russell also leads the Lopes in the assists column with 68 dimes dished out. Braun's .458 shooting clip from downtown (min. 40) is best on the team while Russell's .423 clip (30-71) is second-best on the team.
 
Darion Clark, a 6-7 forward, paces the team on the glass with 7.0 boards per game while Keonta Vernon is right behind him with a 6.9 rebounds average. Gerard Martin is third on the team with 4.3 boards per game.
 
On defense, Oscar Frayer is the only player on the roster with double-digit blocks (15) while Martin has a team-high 32 steals.
 
PROTECT THIS HOUSE
With the win over UTEP the Aggies extended their home winning-streak to 19, dating back to last season. The Aggies have won their first 10 games of the 2016 campaign at home, passing the 2008-09 team and will now be chasing the 2006-07 team that won 15-consecutive games at home – which also included an 80-73 win over No. 13/15 Nevada team. Its 19-game win-streak in the Pan American Center is the sixth-best active home winning-streak in the country through games on Jan. 10. Other teams include Kansas (51), Oregon (35), Akron (25), Miami (21), and Yale (20).
 
The Aggies have also won 35-straight home games in conference play on Lou Henson Court, a streak that is only second to Stephen F. Austin (39). NM State last loss at home on Jan. 25, 2012, against a stout Nevada team 68-60.
 
The Lumberjacks last loss at home in league play came on Feb. 15 against UT Arlington 51-47 and will play its next home game on Wednesday, Jan. 11. Third on the list is Kansas, who have won 34-consecutive contests at home in Big 12 play. The Jayhawks' last home loss in conference action was on Feb. 2, 2013, against Oklahoma State. Coincidentally, KU will be playing the Cowboys on Saturday, Jan. 14, in its next home game.
 
HUGGINS SHOOTS INTO WEEKLY HONOR
NM State men's basketball guard Braxton Huggins was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week Monday morning after averaging 29 points in the conference opening weekend last week.
 
This is the first-career weekly honor for the Bakersfield, Calif., native after dropping a career-high 31 points at UMKC in the WAC opener thanks to a career-tying six 3-pointers. Huggins continued his hot hand two days later at Chicago State, pouring in 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting, five of which came from beyond the arc.
 
At weekend's end, Huggins committed just one turnover and shot 56-percent from the floor, 52-percent from beyond the arc and 90-percent from the line with three rebounds per game and 2 dimes per contest. Huggins has now scored 24-plus points in four of the last six games.
 
LAST TIME OUT
New Mexico State opened the conference slate with a pair of wins over UMKC (77-64) and Chicago State (78-62) and moved to 17-7 all-time in its first two games in league play. With the two wins, the Aggies stretched their win-streak to 13.
 
Braxton Huggins led the way for NM State over the weekend, averaging 29 points between the two games – including a career-high 31 points at UMKC. The junior guard followed up with a 27 point performance at Chicago State. Ian Baker picked up his second-career double-double against the 'Roos with 12 points and 10 assists. Eli Chuha continues to have a stellar sophomore campaign, recording his sixth and seventh double-double of the season.
 
UP NEXT
The Aggies stay home the following week with a single game on Saturday, Jan. 21, as UMKC returns the trip to Las Cruces for the Pack the Pan Am game. NM State opened the conference slate with a 77-64 victory over the 'Roos in Kansas City at Municipal Auditorium.
 
The Aggies stay home the following week with a single game on Saturday, Jan. 21, as UMKC returns the trip to Las Cruces for the Pack the Pan Am game. NM State opened the conference slate with a 77-64 victory over the 'Roos in Kansas City at Municipal Auditorium.