CHICAGO – The New Mexico State men's basketball team lays its 12-consecutive win-streak on the line Saturday, Jan. 7, when it battles Chicago State in a matinee showdown at 1:05 p.m. (MT).
 
The 12-game winning-streak for NM State is currently tied with Oregon for the nation's fourth-longest winning-streak through Thursday night's games and trails just Gonzaga (15), Baylor (14) and Kansas (13).
 
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
 
WAC MINI PLAN PACK
With seven home games remaining, all of which are conference contests, Aggie fans can select four of the remaining seven games to attend for just $50 for 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.
 
COUGARS AWAIT AGGIES IN MATINEE MATCH-UP
NM State and Chicago State is set to square off at 1:05 p.m. (MT) on Saturday, Jan. 7. The Aggies won their WAC opener at UMKC, while the Cougars dropped their opener to UT Rio Grande Valley 83-64 at home. The loss pushed CSU's losing streak to four while NM State won its 12th-straight.
 
New Mexico State leads the all-time series 9-1 and 3-1 when playing in the Jones Convocation Center. Its lone loss against the Cougars came on the road on Jan. 16, 2014, 86-81. The 69-55 win over Chicago State last year was the largest margin of victory for NM State on the road against the Cougars. Other margins of victory on the road were 10 and eight on top of the 86-81 loss. The Aggies have also won five-straight against the Cougars.
 
CSU has a pair of players averaging double-figures in Fred Sims, Jr., and Trayvon Palmer. Sims Jr. leads the way with 17.8 points per game while Palmer is averaging 14.8 points per game. Clemmye Owens V is nearly the third Cougar to average in double-figures with 9.8 points per game.
 
Palmer is also almost averaging a double-double with 9.5 boards per game with the next closest player averaging 4.1 boards per game in Sims Jr. Glen Burns paces the team with 38 dimes on the year while Owens V is second with 31 assists followed by 26 from Sims Jr.
 
Sims Jr. (41) leads a trio of players for CSU with 10-plus 3-pointers on the year while Owens V is second on the team with 27, and Palmer with 18.
 
AGGIES IN WAC OPENERS
Heading into this Saturday's contest, NM State is 16-7 all-time when playing in its first two games since the 2005-06 season.
 
Year                   Conference           Coach                          Home          Away           First 2        
2005-06              WAC                      Reggie Theus                                    1-1               1-1          
2006-07              WAC                      Reggie Theus                 2-0                                   2-0          
2007-08              WAC                      Marvin Menzies                                 1-0                1-1          
2008-09              WAC                      Marvin Menzies                                 2-0                2-0          
2009-10              WAC                      Marvin Menzies             1-1                                    1-1          
2010-11              WAC                      Marvin Menzies                                 1-1                 1-1          
2011-12              WAC                      Marvin Menzies                                 1-0                 2-0          
2012-13              WAC                      Marvin Menzies                                 0-2                 0-2          
2013-14              WAC                      Marvin Menzies                                 1-0                 2-0          
2014-15              WAC                      Marvin Menzies             1-0                                     2-0          
2015-16              WAC                      Marvin Menzies                                 1-1                 1-1          
2016-17              WAC                      Paul Weir                       0-0               1-0                 1-0          
                                                                                                4-1               9-5               16-7
 
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.
 
AGGIE BASKETBALL TO HONOR SHAWN HARRINGTON
The NM State Athletic Department will honor former Aggie Shawn Harrington at its Jan. 21 game against UMKC. Harrington, who played in Las Cruces from 1995-96, was recruited by former Aggie assistant Rus Bradburd – who currently serves as the analyst for home Aggie basketball games. In addition, Harrington will also be in attendance at the Chicago State game on Jan. 7.
 
For a more in-depth read on Harrington's story, read The New York Times article by Joe Nocera by clicking here.

RPI CHECK
After debuting at 94 in the first RPI ranking by the NCAA on Dec. 6, NM State is now sitting at No. 67, good for the highest amongst Western Athletic Conference teams through games on Jan 2. Utah Valley, who debuted at No. 88 to lead the WAC, is now sitting at No. 193.
 
UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
For the first game of 2017 in the Pan American Center, the first 1,000 @AggieArmy fans in attendance will get their hands on the third Aggie snapback hat when the NM State takes on Grand Canyon in its WAC home-opener on Jan. 12. The annual State Farm baby race will also be taking place at halftime.
 
Two days later on Saturday, Jan. 14, the Mascot Madness game returns to the Pan American Center for its halftime game for the game against UMKC.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Led by a night full of career-highs, the NM State men's basketball team flew past UMKC 77-64 in its WAC opener at Municipal Auditorium. Braxton Huggins had a career-high 31 points on 10-of-18 shooting, including a career-high tying six 3-pointers, while the Aggie starters accounted for 68 of the team's 77 points.
 
Eli Chuha also posted a career-high in points with 20 while also notching his sixth double-double of the season, pulling down 10 boards as well. Senior point guard Ian Baker recorded only the second double-double in his career Thursday night with 12 points and 10 assists. His 10 dimes was the first time an Aggie reached double-digits in that category since KC Ross-Miller did it against South Alabama in Dec. 28, 2013.
 
UP NEXT
The Aggies now return home for its three-game homestand and WAC home-opener. Up first for NM State will be Grand Canyon on Thursday, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m. followed by Bakersfield at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14. The @AggieArmy then completes its homestand on Saturday, Jan. 21, when UMKC comes to town for a 7 p.m. tip.