What: Game Fourteen
Who: NM State (7-6, 0-1 WAC) vs. Sam Houston (10-3, 0-1 WAC)
When: Saturday, Dec. 31, 4 p.m. MT
Where: Las Cruces, N.M. - Pan American Center (12,504)

Watch: ESPN+ | Comcast NM | Bally Sports Arizona (Tape Delay) (PxP - Adam Young, Analyst - Rus Bradburd)
Listen: Zia Country 99.5 (PxP - Jack Nixon, Analyst - Anita Skipper)
Attend: Online Ticket Sales
Stats: Click Here
Follow: Twitter - @NMStateMBB, Instagram - @NMStateMBB, Facebook - NM State Men's Basketball

THE OPENING TIP                                      
• NM State returns to the Pan American Center after suffering its first home loss of the season on Wednesday night in the WAC opener against Southern Utah.
• The Aggies' loss on Wednesday marked the first time the Aggies dropped a WAC home opener since 2008 and was just the second home loss to a league opponent since 2012.
• Saturday's contest is just the fifth-ever meeting between the Aggies and Bearkats and is the second meeting between the two programs since Sam Houston joined the WAC ahead of the 2021-22 season.
• Fans attending the Aggies sixth home game of the season should note the earlier start time as Saturday's game is set to tip at 4 p.m. following the women's basketball game against Southern Utah that is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

HOME WAC RECORD                                 
• Even with Wednesday's hiccup, the Aggies' home record in league play is still something to be enamored by as they have emerged victorious in 114 of the 131 games they have played at home.
• NM State is also 33-2 in its last 35 games with its only two losses coming on Wednesday to Southern Utah and on March 2, 2022, at the hands of Stephen F. Austin.
 
WAC DOMINANCE                                      
• Entering its final season in the WAC, NM State has put together one of the most impressive runs in all of college basketball.
• Across 17 seasons, the Aggies have posted a 196-65 record against conference opponents.
• Additionally, the Aggies' 10 WAC Tournament titles is the most in conference history with UTEP's five tournament titles being the next closest.
 
CRASH THE BOARDS                                
• After pulling down 11 boards on the defensive end on Wednesday, Deshawndre Washington enters Saturday's game ranked 17th in the nation in defensive rebounds - pulling down 7.8 defensive rebounds per game
 
SPREAD THE WEALTH                              
• The Aggies win over North Carolina A&T last week marked the third time this season that NM State finished a game with five scorers in double figures.
• For reference, the Aggies finished last season with five such games, including three in non-confernce play.
 
PASSING AT THE POINT                           
• Deshawndre Washington and Xavier Pinson have been one of the most prolific backcourts in the country and are currently averaging a combined 9.2 assists per game.
• Washington currently ranks second in the WAC with 4.7 assists per game while Pinson ranks fourth in the conference at 4.5 helpers per game.
 
HOME IS WHERE WE ARE HAPPIEST     
• With four of its seven wins coming on Lou Henson Court, the Aggies have been handling business at home.
• The Aggies are currently averaging 88.6 points per game while opponents are averaging just 57.8 points.
• NM State also favors its home hoops as they are shooting 48.2% from the field inside the Pan American Center compared to its 42.4 average shooting percentage in road games.
 
TERRIFIC TANDEM                                     
• Entering Wednesday, the backcourt duo of Xavier Pinson and Deshawndre Washington are the only two Aggies to appear in the starting lineup in each of the Aggies' first 12 games.
• The two guards who both hail from Chicago, Ill., also each average double figures and rank first and second in both scoring and assists while also serving as the only two Aggies who average over 30 minutes of playing time per game.
 
SCOUTING THE BEARKATS
• In his 13th year with the Bearkats, Head Coach Jason Hooten will lead Sam Houston on Saturday against the Aggies.
• Last year, Sam Houston finished with an overall record of 19-14 and 13-5 in WAC play while falling to Grand Canyon in the second round of the 2022 WAC Tournament.
• Thus far, the Bearkats have looked like one of the WAC's top contenders and have already compiled wins at Oklahoma and against Utah in the Fort Myers Tip-Off.
• Sam Houston will serve as the Aggies' third opponent this season which resides inside the top 50 of the NCAA NET rankings.
• The Aggies will have to contend with one of the nation's top defenses as the Bearkats currently rank sixth in the nation in scoring defense - holding teams to just 54.8 points per game.
• Additionally, the Bearkats' bench produces more points than any other group of reserves in the nation as they receive an average of 39.62 points per game from their non-starters.
• Qua Grant enters the game as the Bearkats' top scorer at 12.9 points per game to represent one of just two Sam Houston scorers to average more than 10 points.
• The lone other Bearkat to average double figures is senior Donte Powers who posts 10.8 points per contest across the first 13 games of the year.
• This will mark just the fifth time that Sam Houston and NM State will meet up with the first-ever matchup coming in 1989 when NM State hosted the Bearkats on Dec. 21 and earned an 84-66 victory in Las Cruces.
• Including the win in '89, the Aggies have split the series against the Bearkats and are 2-1 inside the Pan American Center.