LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Winners of 12-straight, the New Mexico State men's basketball team looks to keep the momentum going as it entertains UT Rio Grande Valley for a 4 p.m. (MT) tilt on Saturday, Feb. 23.
WHERE TO WATCH
Aggie fans can catch the game Wednesday on the
WAC Digital Network. Fans can also catch the game on the WAC Digital Network via over-the-top apps for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV or Roku Devices.
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.
LISTEN UP!
Aggie fans that can't make it to Saturday's conference match-up can catch the game by listening to NM State Athletics/US Bank Hall of Famer
Jack Nixon and for Aggie basketball player Justin Hawkins on 99.5 Zia Country and affiliate stations on the Aggie Sports Network listed below or via
TuneIn.
| 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 |
UPCOMING PROMOTION
Saturday's game against UT Rio Grande Valley will see five Aggies honored as the newest members of the US Bank/NM State Athletics Hall of Fame. In addition to it being the Hall of Fame game, Saturday will be the final Aggie hat giveaway. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will get the fourth and final limited edition hat of the year.
IN THE NATION
Through games on Feb. 21, NM State is ranked seventh in the country rebounding margin (8.6) and its offensive rebounds per game (13.04) checks in at No. 20 in the nation. The 12.0 scoring margin for NM State is also good for 23rd best in the NCAA while its NET ranking of 58 is best amongst WAC teams. Meanwhile, the team's .852 winning-percentage is tied for the ninth-best in the country with Wofford.
SCOUTING THE VAQUEROS
Saturday's contest between NM State and UT Rio Grande Valley will be the eighth meeting between the two program since UTPA and UT Brownsville merged to create UTRGV in 2015. The Aggies are 7-0 against the Vaqueros since that merger and 3-0 when playing at home.
Since NM State's last-second shot that handed UTRGV a 63-61 loss, the Vaqueros have gone 6-1 – including a road sweep of Grand Canyon and CSU Bakersfield. Through 29 games, Terry Winn III leads the team with a 12.1 scoring average and 4.4 boards per game while Lesley Varner II checks in with 11.0 points per game and a 5.5 rebounding average.
Like the Aggies, UTRGV has some balanced scoring as well with four players averaging above 8.0 points. Tyson Smith is first on that list averaging 9.6 points while Javon Levi averages 9.5 points, 5.5 assists and 3.9 boards – which could arguably be CSUB's biggest threat as of late. Greg Bowie II posts 8.9 points per game and rounded out with 8.8 points per game from Jordan Jackson.
In the last five games, Levi, Jackson, Winn II, Smith and Bowie are averaging in double-figures while Varner II is averaging 9.0 points. Winn III also paces the team in league play with a 13.3 points average while Jackson checks in at 10.3 points per game. Levi and Smith both average 10.0 points in WAC play while Bowie II and Varner II are averaging 9.9 and 9.1 points, respectively. Those five players account for 89-percent (741 points) of the team's scoring in conference action.
SECURE THE SEED
Should the Aggies win on Saturday against UT Rio Grande Valley, New Mexico State will secure the No. 1 seed in the tournament for the second-straight year and fourth time in a five-year span dating back to the 2015 WAC Tournament. NM State has been the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament in 2015, 2016 and 2018.
LAST TIME OUT
In its final non-conference game of the year, New Mexico State cruised past Texas A&M International with an 80-42 victory at home.
Eli Chuha posted 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting with four rebounds while
Trevelin Queen posted 14 points of his own on 6-of-8 shooting with four steals.
All 14 players available on the roster saw action and averaged 10-plus minutes for the third time this season. The Aggie bench, which has been great all year due to the team's depth, accounted for 68-percent of the team's scoring (54 points).
In addition, Chuha's 14 points inched him closer to becoming the 35th Aggie player to join the 1,000 club. The redshirt senior now has 991 career points heading to Saturday's conference match-up against UT Rio Grande Valley.
UP NEXT
NM State hits the road for the final time of the regular-season next week as it travels to the Midwest for a pair of games. First up on the road swing is Kansas City on Thursday, Feb. 28, at 6 p.m. (MT) on ESPN+ followed by a 1 p.m. game at Chicago State on Saturday, March 2.
LOOKING AHEAD
After completing their final road trip of the regular-season, the Aggies return home to the Pan American Center for the final time this season and welcomes California Baptist to the Mesilla Valley for the first time on Saturday, March 9. The game will also be senior day for the Aggie basketball program as it honors
Eli Chuha,
JoJo Zamora and
Keyon Jones.
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