Game Nine | The Battle of I-10
New Mexico State (4-4) vs. UTEP (5-0)
Tuesday, Dec. 3 | 7:00 p.m. | Las Cruces, N.M. | Pan Am Center (12,572)
Live Stats | Watch | Listen | Tickets | New Mexico State Game Notes | UTEP Game Notes
OPENING TIPS
• Seeking revenge against their Lone Star State rivals, the New Mexico State men's basketball team returns to the Pan Am Center for the first time in the month of December Tuesday night for the second 2019-20 installment of the Battle of I-10. At 7:00 p.m., New Mexico State tangles with UTEP in a showdown that is presented by WellsFargo.
• The 218th meeting between the Aggies and Miners will be streamed online via AggieAccess. Stepping in for Jack Nixon over the radio air waves will be Adam Young and his broadcast of the WAC/C-USA matchup can be heard on the TuneIn app and locally on 99.5 FM KXPZ. As always, the tilt can also be found on the Aggie Sports Network's affiliate stations which include 103.5 FM KNMZ (Alamagordo), 1150 AM KNMM (Albuquerque, 1240 AM KAMQ (Carlsbad), 1380 AM KHEY (El Paso), 1230 AM, 94.9 FM KYVA (Gallup) and 107.1 FM KMDS (Las Vegas).
• Losing is not something the Aggies have done on a regular basis under the watch of head coach Chris Jans. When they have lost, however, the Aggies have bounced back quickly. New Mexico State has gone 13-2 (.867) in games directly following a loss under its third-year head coach and that's the situation they find themselves in against the Miners Tuesday.
• Redshirt sophomore Jabari Rice has been one of the nation's most potent scorers off of the bench and over his last three games he has been especially impressive. During his three-game run at the Cayman Classic, Rice averaged 16 points per game on the strength of .552./533/1.000 shooting splits.
• The Pan Am Center has provided the Aggies with one of the nation's best home court advantages for the majority of the decade. Since the 2011-12 season, New Mexico State has put up an enviable mark of 122-13 (.904) inside the facility.
JANS IN DECEMBER
• Since accepting New Mexico State's head coaching job prior to the start of the 2017-18 season, Chris Jans has been quite dominant during the month of December.
• Jans owns a 13-4 (.765) record in the month as the Aggies' bench boss which includes a near-perfect 6-1 (.857) showing at home in the Pan Am Center.
LET IT FLY
• The Aggies have not been shy about hoisting up shots from three-point land this season. New Mexico State ranks second in the WAC and 34th nationally with 213 tries from long range while its 66 three-pointers made are the second-highest total among WAC programs and the 88th-most in the land.
• New Mexico State averages 8.3 three-pointers per game - a figure that's the best among all WAC programs.
LAST TIME OUT
• The owners of a 15-point lead with 3:58 to go in the opening frame, the Aggies fell victim to a huge George Mason surge in the second half and dropped a 68-64 decision to the Patriots in the title game of the 2019 Cayman Classic in George Town, Grand Cayman, last Wednesday night.
• New Mexico State went to the foul line just eight times during the WAC/A-10 tilt and finished 6-of-8 from that distance. The Patriots, meanwhile, converted 13 of their 16 tries from there and shot 55.6-percent (15-of-27) in the second half to secure the victory.
• Two consecutive second-chance baskets by Trevelin Queen put the Aggies back on top 59-56 with 4:20 to go, but the Patriots netted the next 10 points to seal the deal.
• With the loss, the Aggies fell to 2-5 (.286) all-time against current A-10 programs while head coach Chris Jans saw his New Mexico State record in MTE games go to 7-3 (.700) following the setback as well.
THE BATTLE OF I-10
• The second-lengthiest series in the history of the program behind their one against in-state rival New Mexico, the Aggies have battled UTEP 217 times dating back to 1915. On November 12, the Aggies saw their nine-game winning streak against the Miners get snapped after UTEP claimed a 65-50 victory inside the Don Hawkins Center.
• The Aggies' longest winning streak in the all-time series came between 1932 and 1940 when they won 20-straight over UTEP.
• New Mexico State's nine-game winning streak headed into this season was its third-longest in the history of the series and heading into Tuesday's tilt the Aggies have won nine of the last 10 and 12 of the last 15 matchups between the two programs. Three of the Aggies' last nine wins have come by 20 points or more.
• Aggie bench boss Chris Jans is 4-1 (.800) against UTEP during his tenure in Las Cruces.
SCOUTING UTEP | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATISTICS
• One of the final 20 teams among the ranks of the unbeaten on the NCAA Division I men's basketball landscape, the Miners' Tuesday tilt against the Aggies represents the team's first road game of the year. UTEP has lost its last 13 true road games and hasn't won road contest since securing a 68-66 triumph at North Texas on Saturday, March 3, 2018.
• That has the chance to change, however, as Bryson Williams has proven to be one of the best big men in the country through the first five games. Williams ranks second in the land with a field goal percentage of 74.5 and is putting in points at a team-leading rate of 18.0 per game.
• Daryl Edwards (11.6 ppg), Efe Odigie (9.8 ppg) and Souley Boum (9.4 ppg) compliment Williams in terms of scoring and on average the Miners are outscoring their opponents by 15 points per game this season.
• As a unit, UTEP's field goal percentage stands at an impressive 49.5-percent - the 26th-best in the nation heading into Tuesday's tilt.
• Also a defensive-minded squad, UTEP ranks 32nd nationally in turnovers forced per game (18.00) and 37th in terms of field goal percentage defense, allowing foes to shoot just 37.6-percent from the floor this year.
COMING UP NEXT
• Once the Aggies and Miners wrap up their second - and final - meeting of the 2019-20 regular season, New Mexico State heads out on a three-game road trip that will send it to three states. The first stop on that swing is Spokane, Wash., for a Saturday afternoon showdown with Pac-12 adversary Washington State. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. MT inside the Spokane Arena.
-NM State-
