What: Game Twenty-Two
Who: NM State (7-14, 0-9 WAC) vs. Stephen F. Austin (15-7, 7-2 WAC)
When: Wednesday, Feb. 1, 7 p.m. MT
Where: Las Cruces, N.M. - Pan American Center (12,504)

Watch: ESPN+ | Comcast New Mexico | Bally Sports Arizona Extra
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                                      
• Wednesday, the Aggies welcome Stephen F. Austin for the second round of the season series between the two programs while NM State seeks its first win in WAC play.
• While the 2022-23 season has been a bit of an anomaly for the Aggies who are amidst their slowest start in WAC action since joining the league in 2005, Stephen F. Austin has gotten back on track with a pair of back-to-back wins, including a convincing 14-point victory over Seattle U in their last outing.
• As it pertains to NM State's rough stretch - the Aggies had only started with nine league losses in two other seasons (1954-55, 1945-46) prior to this year.
• NM State and SFA most recently met on Jan. 4 in Nacogdoches, Texas, when the 'Jacks got the best of the Aggies, 69-60.
• Though they are only at the midway point of the conference schedule, the Aggies are nearing desperation mode as they are currently the lone team on the outside looking in for the WAC Tournament scheduled to be played in Las Vegas on March 6-11.
 
PINSON NOT MISSIN'                                
• Xavier Pinson has been automatic from the charity stripe during conference play as he currently ranks second in the WAC in free throw percentage in conference play by way of making 31 of 34 across the Aggies' first nine WAC contests.
• In his first season with NM State, Pinson has shot 87% from the free throw line to rank first among Aggies, second in the WAC and 38th in the nation.
 
CHASING 1,500                                          
• In four and a half years at the collegiate ranks, Pinson has scored 1,456 points - putting him just 44 points shy of reaching 1,500 for his career.
• As of now, Pinson would need to average just 4.9 points per game to reach this milestone during the regular season slate.
• Serving as the lone Aggie to have started in every game this season, Pinson paces the Aggies in scoring, notching 278 total points to average 13.2 points per game.
 
HISTORIC WAC DOMINANCE                   
• Amid its final season in the WAC, NM State has put together one of the most impressive runs in all of college basketball.
• Across 17-plus years, the Aggies have posted a 196-72 record against conference opponents.
• Additionally, the Aggies' 10 WAC Tournament titles are the most in conference history with UTEP's five tournament titles being the next closest.
 
TERRIFIC TANDEM                                     
• Deshawndre Washington and Xavier Pinson have been one of the most prolific backcourts in the country and are currently averaging a combined 8.4 assists per game.
• Both Pinson and Washington currently rank inside the top ten in the WAC in assists per game as Pinson's 4.5 assist-per-game average is second-best in the conference and Washington's average of 3.9 assists ranks sixth.
• The two guards who hail from Chicago, Ill., are also the Aggies' top two scorers this season as Pinson leads the Aggies by scoring 13.2 points per game while Washington ranks second on the squad, posting 12.0 points per contest.
• Pinson and Washington are also the only two Aggies averaging more than 30 minutes of playing time under Greg Heiar this season.

WATCH YOUR POCKETS                          
• Wednesday's matchups will mark a meeting between two of the WAC's best at coming up with steals as SFA currently ranks first in steals per game in league play at 9.11 while the Aggies rank fourth - coming up with 6.44 steals per game against WAC opponents.
 
LOSING SKID                                               
• The Aggies' current nine-game losing streak marks the first time that NM State has lost nine consecutive games since the 2004-05 season. Meanwhile, the Aggies' nine losses in league play are already the most by any Aggie team since NM State joined the WAC.
• Typically, the Aggies are used to putting together streaks of a winning nature. In fact, the program has put together eight winning streaks of at least nine games across the last 10 seasons, including a 20-game stretch in 2016-17 that the Aggies went without a blemish.
 
FIRST-YEAR CHALLENGE                         
• Across Division I college basketball, there are currently 63 head coaches in their first year with their respective programs, including 25 head coaches amid their first season at the Division I level as is NM State bench boss Greg Heiar. Many of those head coaches are also learning how difficult it is to win games in their debut seasons.
• Of those programs with new head faces leading the way, 34 programs have sub-.500 overall records as of Tuesday, Jan. 31. This also includes three schools other than NM State that reached the 2022 NCAA Tournament. This group also features 16 programs with .333 win percentages or worse - putting them in the same boat as the Aggies.
• When it comes to conference records, there are currently 38 institutions posting win percentages below .500 in league play, including five programs seeking their first win in conference action.
 
NO WALK IN THE PARK IN THE WAC    
• For years, WAC Championships have run through Las Cruces and there appeared to be a gulf between NM State and the rest of the league, however, this season it looks as though the rest of the league has finally caught up.
• Currently, the WAC ranks 11th out of 32 Division I conferences in average NET ranking (161.77).
• Last season, the conference made a massive jump to finish with an average NET ranking of 194.0 to conclude the season ranked 15th out of 31 after finishing ranked 26th in 2020-21.
• Meanwhile, from the 2018-19 season to the 2021-22 season, the WAC posted a final average NET ranking of 212.22 with a final average ranking of 20.5.
 
Year           Avg. NET        Rank
2021-22    194.00           15th
2020-21    238.56           26th
2019-20    245.11           25th
2018-19    171.22           16th
 
MAJOR MID-MAJOR                                  
• Ten of the Aggies' opponents during the 2022-23 season are featured among the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 rankings, with eight of Aggie opponents among the top 25 while the remaining two squads are receiving votes to be included in the rankings.
• Of those ten, the Aggies will see six of them during WAC play (Grand Canyon, Sam Houston, Seattle U, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin and Utah Valley).
 
#PROAGGIES                          
• Following a recent call-up for Trevelin Queen, the Aggies are now represented in the NBA on two rosters as Pascal Siakam is in his seventh season with the Toronto Raptors and Queen now suits up for the Indiana Pacers. Meanwhile, Jemerrio Jones continues to represent the Aggies in the NBA G League.
• Siakam has continued a stellar career with the Raptors and is a two-time All-NBA honoree who appears to be on his way to his second career NBA All-Star selection.
• After being named the NBA G League MVP following a breakout year with the Rio Grande Vipers in 2021-22, Queen signed a two-year with the Philadelphia 76ers through free agency. However, Queen's stay with the 76ers would be short-lived as he was waived before the season began. Since parting ways with the Sixers, the Baltimore, Md., native signed a two-way deal with the Indiana Pacers.
• Since getting called up, Queen has appeared in seven games for the Pacers - recording a season-high 13 points in 23 minutes of action on Jan. 18 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
• Meanwhile, Jemerrio Jones secured his second deal in the G League as he opened the season as a member of the Lakeland Magic (Orlando Magic affiliate). Last season, the former Aggie often referred to as "Super JJ" played 11 games for the Milwaukee Bucks G League affiliate the Wisconsin Herd. With the Herd, Jones averaged 6.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
 
SCOUTING THE LUMBERJACKS             
• In his fourth year with the Wolverines, Head Coach Kyle Keller will lead SFA on Wednesday night against the Aggies.
• Last year, Stephen F. Austin finished with an overall record of 22-10 while finishing 14-4 in conference play before falling to Abilene Christian in the Quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament.
• After going 5-0 to open WAC play, SFA has sputtered to go 2-2 across its last four contests, including losses to Sam Houston and Southern Utah.
• Much of the Lumberjacks' success stems from its ability to pressure the opponent into turning the ball over. Entering Wednesday, the Lumberjacks rank first in the nation in turnovers forced per game at 19.27. SFA also paces the WAC in steals per game since league play started, coming up with 9.1 steals per contest.
• The Lumberjacks are also the most accurate shooting team in the conference as they are currently shooting at a .482 clip on the season.
• Individually, the 'Jacks are paced in scoring by Sadaidrienne Hall who averages 13.0 points per game while shooting at a WAC-leading 59.3% from the field. Hall is also Stephen F. Austin's leading rebounder - pulling in 6.4 boards per game.
• Hall is also someone Aggie Head Coach Greg Heiar is familiar with as the two spent time together during Heiars one-year stint at East Tennessee State in 2020-21.
• The Aggies will also have to contest with Latrell Jossell and Nigel Hawkins who each average more than 10 points per game. Jossell currently averages 11.7 points while Hawkins posts 10.2 points per game.
• This will mark just the fourth-ever meeting between the two programs with SFA leading the all-time series with a pair of wins.