LAS CRUCES, N.M. – When New Mexico State and Illinois take the floor on Saturday, Dec. 16, at the United Center, it'll be honoring legendary head coach Lou Henson – who led both the Aggies and Illini to Final Four appearances.
 
WHERE TO WATCH
The 6 p.m. (MT) match-up between New Mexico State and Illinois will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network with Jeff Levering on the call and Stephen Bardo as the analyst. Bardo, is a former Illini basketball player for head coach Lou Henson when they played in the 1989 Final Four.
 
The Big Ten Network can be found on the channels below or by going to www.btn.com/about/btn-channelfinder/.
 
Comcast – 281 | 865 HD
DirecTV – 610
DISH – 410 | DISH Hopper – 405
AT&T U-Verse – 650 | 1650 HD
 
PROMOTIONS
What better way to treat your loved ones than an NM State men's basketball "Weekend Warrior" pack for $65. The package includes tickets to the four remaining Saturday games on the schedule while the first 100 orders will either receive a "Los Aggies" or "Aggie A" snapback hat. To make this awesome purchase, fans can come to the Pan American Center ticket office or by calling at 575-646-1420.
 
The four games included in the pack are…
Utah Valley • Saturday, Jan. 20, at 7 p.m.
UT Rio Grande Valley • Saturday, Feb. 3 at 4 p.m.
Grand Canyon • Saturday, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m.
UMKC • Saturday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m.
 
GET CONNECTED
Get up to the minute information and news about the NM State men's basketball team all season on Twitter and Instagram by following @NMStateMBB and on Facebook at FB.com/NMStateMBB.
 
LISTEN UP!
Aggie fans that can't make it to Saturday's contest can catch the game by listening to NM State Athletics/US Bank Hall of Famer Jack Nixon on 99.5 Zia Country and affiliate stations on the Aggie Sports Network listed below.
 
Alamogordo      103.7 FM KNMZ
Albuquerque     1150 AM KNMM
Carlsbad           1240 AM KAMQ
El Paso             1380 AM KHEY
Gallup               1230 AM, 94.9 FM KYVA
Las Vegas         107.1 FM KMDS
 
KEEPIN' UP WITH JJ
With 4:58 left to play in this past Tuesday's game against Eastern New Mexico, Jemerrio Jones darted a pass to a leaping Johnny McCants for his 10 assists of the game. That assist made Jones just the fourth Aggie in program history to record a triple double – finishing with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
 
The last Aggie to record a triple-double was All-American Daniel Mullings. The 2014 WAC Player of the Year recorded his triple-double on Feb. 23, 2012, against Hawaii with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
 
In addition, Jones became the 16th player in WAC history to accomplish the feat and one of eight players this year in Division I to record a triple-double.
 
LOFTON AMONGST TOP GRAD TRANSFERS
Former SWAC Player of the Year Zach Lofton has come as advertised for the Aggies, averaging 19.2 points through 10 games in 2017-18. That average ranks the dynamic guard second amongst grad transfers in the country, trailing behind Nick King of Middle Tennessee (24.3).
 
With Aggies and Blue Raiders both in the Hawaii Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Dec. 22, 23 & 25), the top scoring grad transfers in the country could potentially face off against another next week.
 
LOOUUUUUUUUUUUUU
Lou Henson, who graduated and played at New Mexico State from 1954-55, will be honored at Saturday's game between the Aggies and Illini. Henson, whose name adorns the floor in both the Pan American Center and State Farm Center, is the winningest coach at both NM State (289) and Illinois (423).
 
The legendary coach led the Aggies to the 1970 Final Four, before losing to eventual champion UCLA under the direction of the great John Wooden. He then led the Illini to the 1989 Final Four 19 years later where they fell to Michigan, who wound up winning the National Championship under Steve Fisher.
 
BATTLING THE ILLINI
The Aggies trail the all-time series against the Illini 2-1, but won the last meeting between the two schools 95-94 on Dec. 28, 1992, in the Great Alaska Shootout held in Anchorage, Alaska. Illinois is 37-13 overall at the United since the 1994-95 season and have won its last two games at the UC.
 
Illinois is 8-4 overall on the year, but is 0-3 when playing away from its home floor. The Illini opened the year with six-straight wins before falling to Wake Forest on the road, which were followed by overtime losses to Northwestern and Maryland.
 
As a team, the Illini lead the nation with 225 made free-throws on the year and second in the country with 301 attempts. They're also eighth in the country with 14.50 offensive rebounds per game and 16th in the NCAA in total rebounds with 453 on the year. Defensively, Illinois is 10 in the nation with 100 steals, 17th in turnover margin (5.2) and eighth in turnovers forced (20.17).
 
Forward Leron Black leads a list of four Illini players averaging in double-figures with 13.6 points per game. The 6-7 junior is second on the team with 5.2 rebounds per game and is shooting 54.2-percent from the floor.
 
Aaron Jordan and Michael Finke are tied for the second-highest scoring average on the team with 12.3 points per game. However, Finke is tied with Kipper Nichols for the team-lead with 5.8 rebounds per game while Jordan comes off the bench for the Illini. Kipper also rounds out the list of players averaging double-figures with 10.1 points per game.
 
Trent Frazier paces the team with 20 swipes while Te'Jon Lucas has dished out a team-high 43 assists. Jordan's 29 triples leads the team with a .604 shooting clip beyond the arc.
 
IN THE NATION
Through games on Dec. 13, NM State is ranked eighth in the country with a 10.8 rebounding margin while its 40.8 rebounds per game is good for 31st nationally. Meanwhile Jemerrio Jones is ranked in the top-25 in several rebounding categories including…
 
Category                                          Value         NCAA Rank
Rebounds/game                                 11.5                  6th
Total Rebounds                                   115                   6th
Offensive Rebounds/game                  4.2                   7th
Double-Doubles                                    6                    T8th
Triple-Doubles                                       1                    T8th
Defensive Rebounds/game                 7.3                  T24th
 
LAST TIME OUT
New Mexico State found its rhythm this past Tuesday against Eastern New Mexico, outscoring the Greyhounds 44-24 in the paint along with a 20-9 edge in points off turnovers in its 84-62 win. The Aggies also had five players reach double-figures that game, marking the first time since Long Beach State last season.
 
In addition, Jemerrio Jones made it a memorable game and etched his name into Aggie history become just the fourth player to record a triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Zach Lofton also had an efficient night on offense, pouring in 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting.
 
UP NEXT
New Mexico State now heads to the Aloha State for the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Dec. 22, 23 & 25) where it'll open the tournament with Davidson (4-3) at 9 p.m. (MT) on ESPNU. The Aggies will then either face Hawaii or currently ranked No. 6/8 Miami the next day.