MEDIA COVERAGE: Wednesday’s game can be heard live on the Aggie Sports Network and over the Las Cruces radio airwaves on KSNM, 98.7 with NM State Hall of Famer Jack Nixon on the call.
The game will also be available on ESPN3 Bruce Haertl (play-by-play) and Bryndon Manzer (analyst).
LIVE STATS ON THE WEB: Live stats will be available for fans at www.nmstatesports.com at no cost all season long. Fans can click on the ‘Live Events’ link at the top of the NMStateSports.com home page or go to the men’s basketball schedule page and click on the ‘related links’ tab to access the live stats.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Get all the updates of Aggie Athletics on Twitter and Facebook. Get in-game statistics and in-game updates on Twitter @NMStateAggies. Find out about all Aggie Athletics promotions and events on Facebook (NM State Aggies and The Aggie Student-Athlete). Also, new this season, follow us on Instagram at NMStateAggies for photos from all the Aggie athletics.
WHAT WILL THEY DO NEXT: NM State’s unique marketing series, “What Will They Do Next” has got folks wondering what they might see at an Aggie Basketball game. So far this season, NM State has presented The Zooperstars, a mascot basketball game, given away 10 42-inch HD televisions, 5,000 trading cards and one live turkey. “What Will They Do Next?” The only way one can find out is to be in attendance at the Pan American Center! The next home game is the second Rio Grande Rivalry contest with New Mexico on Dec. 20. Call 575-646-1420 for tickets.
ABOUT THE AGGIES: The Aggies picked up all four wins at home in 2014-15. The Aggies have won 14 straight at the Pan Am, and are 33-2 at Pan Am since the start of the 2012-13 season.
The Aggies’ 14-game home court winning streak is the second longest streak dating back to the 11-12 season. The longest is 15-games, with the 14 and an 11, including the current one.
NM State has dropped all five of its road games this season, with four teams receiving votes in the AP and/or USA Today polls.
The Aggies have lost four players to significant injuries this season, including two starters (Daniel Mullings and Tshilidzi Nephawe) and two newcomers expected to make strong contributions (Tanveer Bhullar and Anthony January).
NM State is averaging 14.5 turnovers a game this season, and has turned the ball over 20 times in three games (Wichita State, Stetson, New Mexico).
NM State held Florida A&M to 33 points on Nov. 26, the fewest points scored at the Pan American Center and the fewest points scored against the Aggies since March 1952.
The Aggies are averaging 80.8 points a game at the Pan American Center this season, while collecting 57.5 points. On the road, NM State is averaging 64.6 points, while allowing 74.2 points a contest.
NM State looks to complete the rare four-peat in 2014-15, as the Aggies have won the WAC Tournament title and participated in the NCAA Tournament three years in a row.
Senior Remi Barry is leading the Aggies in scoring. Barry is averaging 13.9 points a game (sixth in the WAC) after scoring 18 points, 17 twice, 16, 15 and 13 points twice in seven of the last eight games. He also leads the WAC in field goal percentage, shooting 56.0 percent from the floor. He just missed a double-double at UTEP with nine rebounds.
Redshirt freshman Pascal Siakam has started strong for the Aggies. In eight games, Siakam is averaging 11.1 points and is second on the team with 7.1 rebounds. He leads the WAC in blocked shots with 2.2 per game (47th nationally), and ranks fifth in the league in board work.
Of the 15 players on the NM State roster, nine are from countries other than the United States. Five players are from Toronto, Canada, with two from France, one from Cameroon and one from South Africa.
LOOKING BACK: The Aggies trailed 49-40 with 13 minutes to play against UTEP last Saturday. NM State had shot just 1-of-9 from the floor in the first seven minutes of the second half. After using a timeout, the Aggies got a Braxton Huggins 3-pointer that started a 17-4 run as NM State won the Battle of I-10 over the Miners 71-64.
The Aggies went 10-of-18 (.556) from the floor and 11-of-13 from the foul line over the last 13 minutes in taking the game, while holding the Miners to just 15 points over the same time period.
Senior Remi Barry led NM State in scoring with 15 points along with six rebounds, while senior DK Eldridge scored 14 points. Redshirt freshman Pascal Siakam posted 12 points with six boards and blocked five Miner shots (his second five block game this season).
ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES: Oral Roberts is 2-4 on the season, with a 62-61 loss at Weber State on Dec. 1 in their last action. ORU was scheduled to play last Sunday at home against Missouri State, but a massive power outage affecting south Tulsa canceled that contest. ORU is paced by guard Obi Emegano (6-3, Jr., Edmond, Okla.), a preseason first team All-Summit League performer who is averaging 16.5 points. 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game. Guard Korey Billbury (6-3, Jr., Tulsa, Okla.) -- a second team preseason All-Summit selection -- chalks up 14.2 points, 7.0 boards and dishes 3.0 assists a contest, while guard Bobby Word (6-4, So., Lancaster, Texas) posts 7.6 points. The Eagles are scoring 60.8 points an outing, while allowing 67.5.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Aggies face another major challenge on Wednesday when they visit the Farrell Center in Waco, Texas to take on the Big 12’s Baylor Bears.
The Bears are 8-1 on the season, with a solid 77-63 victory over Texas A&M in Waco on Tuesday. Baylor, who is receiving votes in both the AP and USA Today polls, is off until facing the Aggies next Wednesday. The Bears are paced by forward Taurean Prince (6-7, Jr., San Antonio, Texas) who is averaging 13.4 points. 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots a game. Forward Royce O’Neale (6-6, Sr., Killeen, Texas) chalks up 10.3 points, 6.7 boards and dishes 3.4 assists a contest, while guard Kenny Chery (5-11, Sr., Montreal, Quebec) posts 9.6 points. Forward Rico Gathers (6-8, Jr., LaPlace, La.) chips in 9.4 points and leads team and Big 12 with 10.2 rebounds a game (14th nationally). The Bears are scoring 68.8 points an outing, while allowing just 53.8 a contest.
THE M*A*S*H UNIT: NM State has had a rough time with injuries at the start of this season. The Aggies suffered several injuries during preseason practice with ankle injuries to both Tanveer Bhullar and Anthony January that have cost both the start of the season. January is out for the season and will apply for a medical redshirt. Bhullar had to be casted and is expected to be out at least until the start of conference play. Second team Preseason All-WAC forward Tshilidzi Nephawe suffered a foot injury during the preseason, but was able to come back to start the first six games. But his foot was not healing properly, so he was shut down at Thanksgiving with a January target to return. Then last week, on Thursday in practice after the New Mexico game, WAC Player of the Year Daniel Mullings broke his finger severely enough to have surgery this week. Mullings will be out for a minimum of eight weeks, or until at least early February.
END OF THE (NON-CONFERENCE) ROAD: The Aggies trip to ORU and Baylor this week marks the end of non-conference regular season road games for NM State. The Aggies have five road ventures in non-conference play this season and will total seven road non-conference games this season.