What: Game Thirteen
Who: NM State (7-5, 0-0 WAC) vs. Southern Utah (8-5, 0-0 WAC)
When: Wednesday, Dec. 28, 7 p.m. MT
Where: Las Cruces, N.M. – Pan American Center (12,504)
Watch: ESPN+ | Comcast NM | Bally Sports Arizona Extra (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
• After earning a win over North Carolina A&T in the consolation game of the 2022 WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational to conclude non-conference play, NM State will open its WAC season on Wednesday at home against Southern Utah.
• The Aggies’ game against the Thunderbirds will mark the first WAC game of the season for the entire conference and kicks off an 18-game league schedule as NM State begins its quest for a eighth WAC regular season title.
• Wednesday also marks the third-ever meeting between NM State and Southern Utah, however, it will be the first time that the two programs meet as conference foes.
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 196-64 record against conference opponents, including a staggering 117-13 home record.
• Additionally, the Aggies’ 10 WAC Tournament titles is the most in conference history with UTEP’s five tournament titles being the next closest.
.500 OR BETTER
• The WAC showed that it can be one of the premier conferences in the country during non-conference play as it is one of only eight conferences in the country with one or fewer teams with sub-.500 records during the non-conference season.
• The other seven conferences are the West Coast Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, the Southeastern Conference, Conference USA, the Big Ten, the Big 12 and the Atlantic Coast Conference.
PLAYING CONFERENCE LEADERS
• The Aggies’ non-conference slate included some of the winningest schools in the country as three NM State opponents ranked inside the top two of their respective conference in win percentage following non-conference play.
• Santa Clara’s 12-3 record is currently tops in the mid-major power West Coast Conference, Kent State’s 10-3 sits atop the Mid-American Conference and Duquesne’s 10-3 record is behind only Fordham in the Atlantic-10.
MUHAMMAD MAKING IT COUNT
• With another efficient performance in his last outing, redshirt junior forward Issa Muhammad ranks as one of the most accurate scorers in the country as his field goal percentage of 64.4 ranks 14th in the nation.
• Muhammad’s season includes six games in which he has finished the game shooting 60% or better from the field, including a perfect 7-of-7 performance on the road at Duquesne on Dec. 11.
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 9.4 assists per game.
• Washington currently ranks second in the WAC with 4.8 assists per game while Pinson ranks fourth in the conference at 4.6 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 92 points per game while opponents are averaging just 52.5 points.
• NM State also favors its home hoops as they are shooting 48.9% from the field inside the Pan American Center compared to its 41.7 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
NEW LEADER, SAME PHILOSOPHY
• Under former Head Coach Chris Jans, the Aggies were often seen as a defensive-minded team – limiting teams to an average of 63.5 points while scoring 74.1 points per game.
• Although the sample size is minuscule when compared to the 154 games that the Aggies played under Jans, the Aggies are averaging 78.7 points per game with Greg Heiar at the helm while still holding teams to just 66.3 points per game.
• The shooting percentage of Aggie opponents also reflects the strength on the defensive side of the ball as the Aggies currently rank 26th in the nation in field goal percentage defense, holding teams to 38.5 percent from the field.
TOURNAMENT TIME
• NM State’s 10 conference tournament titles since 2006 are the second-most in the nation. Only the WCC’s Gonzaga (13) has more.
NM STATE ON THIS DATE
• Across the history of the program, the Aggies have played on the 28th of December a total of 26 times – boasting an overall record of 19-7.
• Wednesday will mark the Aggies’ 12th-ever home game on Dec. 28.
• The Aggies have only ever played one conference game on Dec. 28 when they defeated North Texas in 2000 during their stint in the Sun Belt.
SCOUTING THE THUNDERBIRDS
• In his seventh year with the Thunderbirds, Head Coach Todd Simon will lead Southern Utah on Wednesday against the Aggies.
• Last year, SUU finished with an overall record of 23-12 and after falling in the quarterfinals of the Big Sky Tournament, the Thunderbirds made an impressive run in The Basketball Classic before falling to Fresno State in the semifinals.
• This season, the Thunderbirds will make their debut in the Western Athletic Conference after spending 10 seasons in the Big Sky.
• Southern Utah will head to Las Cruces with a 1-3 record away from home.
• The Aggies will have to contend with one of the nation’s top scoring teams as SUU enters Wednesday ranked third in the country in points per game at 90.0.
• As a team, the Thunderbirds are also currently one of the top teams in the country at pushing the ball up the court as they rank 11th in the nation in fastbreak points by way of averaging 17.77 points per game.
• Individually, N.C. A&T is led in scoring by former four-star recruit Tevian Jones, who ranks 22nd in the nation, scoring 19.8 points per game.
• Senior Harrison Butler is the only other Thunderbird scoring more than 10 points per contest as he currently averages 13.8 points per game.
• This will mark just the fourth time that Southern Utah and NM State will meet up with the first-ever matchup coming in 1991 when NM State hosted the Thunderbirds and earned an 87-80 victory in the Pan American Center.
• The Aggies are unbeaten against SUU and all three previous matchups have also come in Las Cruces, N.M. with the most recent coming in 1995.
++NM State++
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