LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The Battle of I-25 resumes this Friday, Nov. 17, when New Mexico State plays host to New Mexico for a 7 p.m. tilt in the Pan American Center. The 219th meeting between the two rivals is sponsored by Wells Fargo and is the first of two meetings this season.
 
Adam Young (@youngpbp) has the call for Friday's rivalry game while former Aggie basketball assistant Rus Bradburd serves as the analyst.
 
GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
Friday's game against Battle of I-25 rival New Mexico will serve as the WHITE OUT game. Aggie fans are encouraged to wear white at the game against the Lobos. A total of 4,000 foam fingers will be given out as well as 1,000 free t-shirts.
 
WHERE TO WATCH
In addition to Friday's action against the Lobos on ESPN3, fans can catch the game LIVE on FOX Sports Arizona PLUS and FOX Sports Southwest PLUS. Fans can also use the FOX Sports GO app with paid cable subscription to watch the game on their mobile/tablet device.
 
ALL Times Mountain
FOX Sports Arizona PLUS (LIVE)
DISH: SD – 440, HD – 9575 | DISH Hopper: 412-28 | DTV: 686-1
 
FOX Sports Southwest PLUS (LIVE)
DTV: 676-4
 
FOX College Sports Pacific (Delayed) 2 a.m. Saturday.
DTV: 608 | DISH: 454 | Comcast – 264
 
GET CONNECTED
Get up to the minute information and news about the NM State men's basketball team all season on Twitter and Instagram by following @NMStateMBB and on Facebook at FB.com/NMStateMBB.
 
LISTEN UP!
El Paso Chihuahua's play-by-play man Tim Hagerty (@tdhagerty) will have the call over the airwaves on 99.5 Zia Country and affiliate stations in the absence of US Bank/NM State Hall of Famer Jack Nixon.
 
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
 
RIVALRY AWAITS
The much anticipated contest between New Mexico State and New Mexico is quickly approaching. UNM enters the contest 2-0 after a pair of opening victories at home against NAIA Northern New Mexico and Omaha.
 
The rivalry this year has an added flare to it with former Aggie head coach Paul Weir at the helm for the team up North. UNM boasts seven players on its roster that are averaging in double-figures. Troy Simons leads all Lobos with 21.5 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game along with his seven assists and nine steals.
 
Chris McNeal is second on the team averaging 16.5 points with 13 assists while Sam Logwood is right behind him at 16 points a game. Antino Jackson is next on the list with 15.5 points per game and 11 assists while Makuach Maluach checks in with 13.5 points per game. Anthony Mathis and Joe Furstinger rounds it out with 12.5 points per game and 10 points per game, respectively.
 
The numbers a bit skewed due to UNM's 147-76 thrashing of Northern New Mexico in its home and season-opener. The Lobos hit the century mark for the second time in as many games this past Tuesday when it dismantled Omaha 103-71.
 
New Mexico State trails the all-time series 121-97, but won the last meeting between the two squads 84-71 on Lou Henson Court to split the series last season.
 
FEELING AT HOME
After its tilt against #21/22 Saint Mary's, New Mexico State will go as far as Albuquerque for the next month. Of the next eight games, two will be on the road. However, those two road games are take place at UTEP 41.8 miles away and at New Mexico, which is 224 miles away.
 
IN THE NATION
Through games on Tuesday, Nov. 14, Jemerrio Jones is tied with 30 others around the country with two double-doubles to start the year. The 6-5 forward is also third in the country in offensive rebounds with 7.5 per game (15 total) while his 14.5 rebounding average has him tied for seventh best in the country. Jones is also tied for eighth in the NCAA with 29 total rebounds, nine behind Michael Humphrey of Stanford (38).
 
FIRST OF THEIR KIND
With the first edition of the Battle of I-25 on tap for Friday, Aggie head coach Chris Jans looks to be one of 12 head coaches in Aggie history to beat the Lobos in his first try. As a whole first-year head coaches are 7-15 all-time in their first contest against UNM. However, NM State is 11-11 all-time when facing the Lobos for the first time at home under a new head coach. Of those 11 wins, three head coaches lost first meeting against Lobos on the road. In addition, Arthur Bergman (1920-22) and T.R. Coffman (1927-29) never faced off against the Lobos during their tenure at New Mexico State.
 
Year            Coach                          Site         Score
1918-19      John G. Griffith             Home       57-20*
1922-23      Robert R. Brown          Home        28-20
1490-41      Julius J. Johnston        Home        40-31
1956-57      Presley Askew             Home        58-51#
1966-67      Lou Henson                 Home        62-61 (OT)
1975-76      Ken Hayes                   Home        82-68#
1979-80      Weldon Drew               Home        68-58
1985-86      Neil McCarty                Home        53-44
2005-06      Reggie Theus              Home        67-61
2007-08      Marvin Menzies           Home        71-62
2016-17      Paul Weir                     Home        84-71#              
 
*Didn't face UNM in their first year as head coach
#Lost their first meeting against UNM on the road, but won their first meeting against UNM at home
 
LAST TIME OUT
New Mexico State went toe-to-toe with No. 21/22 Saint Mary's on the road this past Monday, and was just down 47-42 at half. However, steady play from the Gaels and 1-of-9 from the Aggies behind the arc in the second-half saw them fall 92-74. Jemerrio Jones recorded his second-straight double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds while Zach Lofton led the Aggies with 18 points.
 
AJ Harris recorded a career-high 13 points with four assists while Eli Chuha added 13 points of his own with six rebounds. Leston Gordon also knocked down his first bucket at the Division I level in an Aggie uniform that night.
 
UP NEXT
The home-stretch continues for NM State after hosting in-state rival UNM. First up for the Aggies will be Colorado State on Wednesday, Nov. 22, before entertaining Battle of I-10 rival UTEP on Saturday, Nov. 25, after the football game at 2 p.m. against Idaho. Both games are slated for a 7 p.m. (MT) tip-off.