LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State men's basketball team will get a short reprieve this weekend playing at home after a six-day road swing that ended this past Monday. The Aggies will square off against Chicago State this Saturday, Feb. 4, for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Alumni Night sponsored by GEICO.
 
The 19-game winning-streak for NM State is good for the nation's second-longest win-streak and trails just Gonzaga (23). Arizona now owns the third-longest winning-streak in the country with 15-straight wins through Thursday while Cincinnati and Belmont are tied for the fourth-longest winning-streak at 13.
 
GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
The game against the Cougars is sponsored by GEICO and will be the final installment of the special edition Aggie snapback hat giveaway. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will get their hands on the snapback hat.
 
The Oñate High School Band will once again play at the men's basketball game in lieu of the NMSU Marching Band.
 
UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
The final opportunity for Aggie fans to take advantage of the 4-For-$40 ticket promotion will be for the Utah Valley game on Thursday, Feb. 23., at 7 p.m. Fans get four tickets, four soft drinks and four hot dogs for the price of $40.
 
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
 
JANUARY JUBLIEE
With its 98-75 win this past Monday against Northern New Mexico, the Aggies finished the month of January a perfect 8-0. The last time NM State went undefeated in the month of January was during the 2012-13 season. That squad finished the year 24-11 before falling in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament to No. 16/16 Saint Louis, 64-44.
 
As a program, New Mexico State has now gone undefeated in the month of January 10 times. However, the 2016-17 is just the third team since Presley Askew's 1959-60 squad to achieve the feat. This year's team is only the second Aggie squad to go undefeated in both Decemeber and January. The only other time occurred during the 1916-17 season when Clarence W. Russel's team went 4-0 in those two months, 1-0 in Dec. and 3-0 in Jan.
 
Year: Record in Jan. (at Home)
2016-17: 8-0 (3-0)
2012-13: 8-0 (5-0)
1993-94: 9-0 (5-0)
1959-60: 4-0 (1-0)
1937-38: (8-0 (5-0)
1931-32: (4-0 (1-0)
1925-26: 5-0, 3-0)
1920-21: 4-0 (2-0)
1918-19: 1-0 (1-0)
1916-17: 3-0 (2-0)
1908-09: 3-0 (2-0)
 
ROUND 2 OF WAC PLAY BEGINS WITH COUGARS
Despite a 1-6 mark in Western Athletic Conference play, Chicago State has played its opponents tough since falling to the Aggies in the Windy City. The Cougars picked up their first win of league play on the road at Utah Valley 70-61, an opponent the Aggies struggled with on the road last week. They then took UT Rio Grande Valley into overtime before falling 85-77 and most recently gave Grand Canyon a scare before falling to the Lopes in double-overtime 85-77 – ironically the same exact score from their previous loss in overtime.
 
Fred Sims Jr. still is having an offensive year for the Cougars, averaging 19.1 points per game with 4.7 boards per game. Trayvon Palmer, the league's leading rebounder is nearly averaging a double-double with 15.0 points per game and 9.7 boards per game. He also leads the team with a .482 shooting clip (Min. 60 FGA) and has started in all 24 contests. Sims Jr. has also taken almost twice as many shots Palmer, attempting 447 shots to Palmer's 274.
 
Chicago State has shared the ball well amongst its top players with Clemmye Owens V leading the team with 50 assists on the year followed by Palmer (42), Sims Jr. (37) and Delundre Dixon (37). The same applies in the steals category for CSU as Palmer paces the squad with 23 while Joshua Batson checks in with 23 followed by Sims Jr. and Owens V with 21 apiece.
 
The numbers remain fairly the same in the scoring column in WAC action for Chicago State. Sims Jr. remains the team's leading scorer, but is averaging 20 points and 6.7 rebounds. Palmer dropped to 14.0 points per game, but added to his rebounding numbers and is averaging a double-double with his 10.4 rebounds per game.
 
PAIR OF FORMER AGGIE BALLERS SET TO BE INDUCTED
The NM State Athletics Department recent announced that James Moore (2000-04) and Billy Joe Price (1958-61) were named to the 2017 US Bank/NM State Hall of Fame class. Price was a member of the inaugural Ring of Honor class alongside Lou Henson and Sam Lacey while James Moore became the fifth Aggie to earn All-American status at the end of his junior campaign.
 
Others joining Price and Moore in the 2017 US Bank/NM State Hall of Fame class are Jackie Choi Parker (volleyball, 2003-06) and Gwladys Nocera (Women's Golf, 1998-00). For an in-depth read on this year's hall of fame class, click here.
 
LAST TIME OUT
After a sluggish start to its final game of the six-day road trip, the NM State men's basketball team gathered themselves and rolled past Northern New Mexico 98-75 at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho.
 
Ian Baker recorded a career-high 27 points while Jermain Haley also recorded a new career-high with 16 points, 5 boards and five assists. Eli Chuha wrapped up the night with 11th double-double of the season. The redshirt sophomore finished with 14 points and 11 boards – six of which came on the offensive glass.
 
UP NEXT
After Saturday's game, the Aggies get back on the road for a pivotal road swing that pits them against CSU Bakersfield (Feb. 9), who is second in the league followed by Grand Canyon (Feb. 11). Both games are scheduled to air on ESPN3.