LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The New Mexico State men's basketball team prepares to open the 2019-20 season at home when Western New Mexico enters the Pan American Center for a 7 p.m. MT tip-off on Tuesday, November 5. This marks the 87
th meeting all-time between the Aggies and the Mustangs, which the Crimson & White lead 62-23-1.
LISTEN UP!
Fans who are not able to make it to the Pan Am for the opener can still listen in to the action live on 99.5 FM KXPZ. The radio call of the entire game can also be found on
TuneIn with NM State Athletics/US Bank Hall of Famer
Jack Nixon handling the call former Aggie basketball player Justin Hawkins serving as the analyst. The game can also be heard on the 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 |
WATCH OUT
Those looking to watch the game can catch a live stream of all of the action on the
WAC Digital Network.
GET CONNECTED
Get up to the minute information and news about the NM State men's basketball team all season long on
Twitter and
Instagram by following @NMStateMBB and on Facebook at
FB.com/NMStateMBB.
GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
There are great giveaways at the Aggies home opener as the first 1,000 fans into the Pan American Center receive a limited-edition NM State leather-patch hat. Tuesday night's tip-off also features the banner raising for the 2019 NM State Men's Basketball team's Western Athletic Conference Championship.
LOOKING AT THE MUSTANGS
Western New Mexico enters the Pan Am on Tuesday for their own season-opener. The Mustangs only game this preseason featured an exhibition game that the team lost to Northern New Mexico, 76-73, on Nov. 1.
Last season, WNMU went 5-20 overall with a 2-10 mark on the road. The Mustangs were outscored 83.1-71.0 across those 25 games. To close out the 2018-19 season, Western New Mexico finished out the year with a 1-9 record over their final 10 contests.
Entering this season, the Mustangs lost three of their top-four scorers from a season past and turn towards leading returner, CJ Vanbeekum, as well as eight underclassmen and one grad transfer to fill those voids.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Heading into the home and season-opener on Nov. 5, here's how the Aggies have fared throughout the years in their first game…
Season-Openers: 68-42-1
Home-Openers: 82-27-1
Season/Home Opener as Same Game: 56-18-1
The Aggie men have now won five-straight home-openers and eight of their last nine. Only loss during that stretch came against Western Michigan in 2013. The only year NM State didn't have a home-opener was during the 1907-08 campaign.
PROTECT THIS HOUSE
New Mexico State is 635-154 (.805) all-time inside the Pan American Center and has gone 142-20 (.877) over the last 10 years at home, including a 16-1 mark during the 2018-19 season. NM State has not lost more than two games on its home floor, since 2011-12 when it dropped three games on Lou Henson Court.
New Mexico State began the 2018-19 campaign with a dominant 102-11 (.903) record on Lou Henson Court dating back to that 2011-12 season. After the 75-63 win over California Baptist the Aggies are now 118-12 (.908) at home since the 2011-12.
PRESEASON HONORS
Following a record-setting season, the New Mexico State men's basketball team was unanimously selected as the favorite to repeat as Western Athletic Conference Champions in both the Preseason Coaches' and Media Polls, the league announced on Oct. 9.
NM State returns nine players from 2018-19 who played at least 10 minutes per game, seven of whom are seniors, making the Aggies one of the oldest and most experienced squads in college basketball. The Aggies also add some much-welcomed firepower to a team already looking to return to the Big Dance.
Being selected to finish first in both the coaches' and media polls marks the sixth season out of the last seven that the Crimson and White have been chosen as the outright favorite. NM State comes into the 2019-20 season after posting eight-straight campaigns with 20 or more wins and seven appearances in the last eight NCAA Tournaments.
In the media poll the Aggies received all 20 first-place votes, totaling 252 points to earn the top spot. Grand Canyon was picked to finish second with 220 points. Seattle U was picked third with 158 points, edging out UT Rio Grande Valley in fourth place with 155 points. California Baptist was selected to finish fifth with 134 points, just ahead of Utah Valley in sixth place with 133 points. CSU Bakersfield was picked seventh with 109 points, while Kansas City was selected eighth with 67 points. Chicago State rounded out the poll in ninth place with 32 points.
NM State also ran away with the coaches' poll where head coaches could not vote for their own team. The Aggies received 64 points and all of the eight possible first-place votes to earn the top spot. Grand Canyon captured second place with 57 points and one first-place vote. Seattle U was third with 43 points, followed by UT Rio Grande Valley in fourth place with 39 points. California Baptist was picked to finish fifth with 34 points, while CSU Bakersfield and Utah Valley tied for sixth place with 30 points apiece. Kansas City was eighth with 16 points, while Chicago State rounded out the poll with 11 points.
On the Preseason All-WAC Teams, senior
Terrell Brown led the way being selected to the All-WAC First-Team by both the coaches and media. At the end of the 2018-19 season, the guard earned First-Team All-WAC honors, as well as WAC All-Tournament Team and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) First-Team All-District selections. Brown finished the regular season fifth in WAC scoring with 16.3 points per game in conference play and he led the team in scoring (11.3 ppg), three-point field goals made (66) and free throw percentage (.776).
This was followed by fellow senior guard
Trevelin Queen who was voted to the Preseason All-WAC First-Team by the media and the All-WAC Second-Team in the coaches' poll. Last season, Queen was named the WAC Tournament MVP and became the first Aggie in program history to be named to the NABC Honors Court recognizing collegiate basketball student-athletes who excel on the court and in the classroom. After becoming eligible midseason, the Glen Burnie, Md. native saw action in 24 games and helped NM State win its second-straight regular season title and third-straight WAC Tournament championship.
Ivan Aurrecoechea was a Preseason All-WAC Second-Team selection by both the coaches and media as the forward enters his senior season. Last year, Aurrecoechea played in 32 games in his first season in the Crimson & White with 12 starts. The forward recorded his first career double-double at the Division I level in a victory over in-state rival New Mexico when he scored 23 points with 11 boards. He averaged 9.6 points per game at seasons end, forcing 15 turnovers and recording 168 rebounds with 103 coming on the defensive end.
The Aggies' floor general,
AJ Harris, rounded out the preseason selections as an All-WAC Second-Team vote in the coaches' poll. After being named to the WAC All-Newcomer Team in 2018, the guard came back in 2019 to earn All-WAC Second-Team honors and make the WAC All-Defensive Team. The 2018-19 season saw Harris average 9.4 points per game with 3.4 assists and 1.8 rebounds. When the lights were bright the Dayton, Ohio native shined as he posted a career-high 31 points on 6-of-6 shooting from three-point range in The Pit against Battle of I-25 rival UNM.
SUMMIT LEAGUE/WAC CHALLENGE
The third season of the WAC and Summit League Challenge that'll pit teams from each conference against one another begins this season. The Challenge features head-to-head competition between all nine teams. Matchups were set based upon factors including the previous year's achievements, records and RPI rankings, as well as projected rankings in the upcoming season. Those teams with home games in 2018 will play on the road in 2019 and vice versa. In addition, teams won't face the same opponent in back-to-back years.
NEXT UP
Following the season opener, the New Mexico State men's basketball team hits the road for the first time to take on Battle of I-10 rival UTEP on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. MT inside of the Don Haskins Center.
