What: Game Twenty-Three
Who: NM State (8-14, 1-9 WAC) vs. Seattle U (16-7, 7-3 WAC)
When: Saturday, Feb. 4, 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                                        
• The Aggies released a deep exhale on Wednesday evening as they earned their first win in WAC play with a six-point triumph over Stephen F. Austin inside the Pan American Center.
• Following a pair of games in which it has looked strong against quality opponents, NM State's goals that it entered the season with seem to be less in the distance. However, the Aggies will receive another big test at home on Saturday night as they welcome a Seattle U team who has already beaten them once this season and was receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches poll just one week ago.
• NM State's uncharacteristic losing streak came to a close at nine games to put an end to the longest skid since the 2004-05 season when it dropped 10 consecutive contests.
• After struggling out of the gates in several of their league competitions, the Aggies were able to get off to a quick start in Wednesday's win - shooting 73% during the first nine minutes of play. This will surely be an area where Head Coach Greg Heiar and his staff will look to succeed once again in order to earn its first set of back-to-back wins this season.
• Meanwhile, the Redhawks head to Las Cruces looking to end their losing streak with losses in each of its last three outings after starting conference play with a perfect 7-0 record.
 
PROTECTING THE PAN AM                         
• Entering Saturday, the Aggies are a perfect 10-0 when facing off against the Redhawks in Las Cruces.
• On average, the Aggies have scored 76.1 points in home games against Seattle U while the Redhawks have managed just 62.2 points per game - giving the Aggies an average margin of victory of 13.9 points.
• NM State's most lopsided win over the Redhawks also came on Lou Henson Court when they topped SU 86-53 on Feb. 25, 2017. In the 33-point victory, the Aggies were led by a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double from Eli Chuha.
 
PINSON NOT MISSIN'                                  
• Xavier Pinson has been automatic from the charity stripe during conference play as he currently ranks fourth in the WAC in free throw percentage in conference play by way of making 36 of 40 across the Aggies' first 10 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 1,465 points - putting him just 35 points shy of reaching 1,500 for his career.
• As of now, Pinson would need to average just 4.4 points per game to reach this milestone during the regular season slate.
• Pinson has started in 21 of the Aggies' 22 contest this season and paces the team in scoring, notching 287 total points to average 13.0 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 197-72 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 13.0 points per game while Washington ranks second on the squad, posting 12.1 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.
 
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 like 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, 35 programs have sub-.500 overall records as of Friday, Feb. 3. This also includes four schools other than NM State that also reached the NCAA Tournament last season.
• When it comes to conference records, there are currently 37 institutions with first-year head coaches posting win percentages below .500 in league play, including 12 programs with one or fewer wins against conference opponents.
 
SATURDAY STRUGGLES                              
• When the Aggies tip off at 7 p.m. this weekend, they will still be seeking their first win on a Saturday this season as they have fallen in each of their previous seven Saturday games this season.
• The last time the Aggies won on a Saturday was when they defeated Abilene Christian 66-52 in the WAC Championship game on March 12, 2022.
 
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 (159.54).
• 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
2022-23     159.54            11th
2021-22     194.00            15th
2020-21     238.56            26th
2019-20     245.11            25th
2018-19     171.22            16th
 
FINISHING THE JOB                                     
• Though the Aggies have had a tough time grabbing a late lead this season, they have been good at closing games they do find themselves ahead in during the final minutes.
• This season, NM State is a perfect 8-0 in games that it leads with five minutes left on the clock.
 
PUT JANUARY IN THE PAST                       
• NM State is glad to be done with the month of January after going 0-7 during the first 31 days of the year.
• January marked the first time the Aggies went a full month without a win since NM State went 0-8 in February of 2005.
 
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 REDHAWKS  
• After serving as the interim head coach for all of last season, 2021-22 WAC Coach of the Year Chris Victor is in his first official year at the helm of Seattle U's program.
• Last year, Victor led the Redhawks to a historic season in which it earned a share of the WAC regular season title for the first time in program history after putting together a 23-8 overall record in the regular season and a 14-4 WAC record.
• The Redhawks' season came to an abrupt end when they fell to WAC Tournament runner-up Abilene Christian in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament.
• Seattle U is back in the thick of the WAC title race this year with a 7-3 record in league play and a 16-7 overall record. However, the Redhawks have struggled as of late - dropping their last three contests, including a 15-point loss at home to Abilene Christian in its most recent contest.
• SU did also lose a big piece from last year's team as First Team All-WAC member and Redhawk leading scorer Darrion Trammell transferred to San Diego State during the offseason.
• The Redhawks will shoot the three-ball at will as they enter Saturday ranked eighth in the nation in three-point attempts per game. However, Seattle U will rely on volume as it shoots just 31.8% from beyond the arc to rank 240th among Division I teams yet still ranks 29th in makes per game at 9.0.
• NM State did do an exceptional job at defending the three in the first half of the first meeting with the Redhawks this season as they allowed SU to knock down just one triple during the first 20 minutes of play.
• A big part of that three-point barrage is 2021-22 First Team All-WAC selection Cameron Tyson who attempts the seventh-most threes per game among DI shooters while knocking down the ninth-most three-pointers per game at 3.4. This all leads to Tyson averaging 19.2 points - a mark that ranks 33rd in the country.
• NM State will likely key in defensively on senior Riley Grigsby who scorched the Aggies for 27 points in their first matchup. Grigsby will enter Saturday averaging 12.6 points per game to rank second on the team.
• This will mark the 26th meeting between Seattle U and NM State with NM State holding a 20-5 advantage over the Redhawks.
• The Aggies will also look to maintain success against the Redhawks at home as they are a perfect 10-0 inside the Pan American Center when facing the team from the Pacific Northwest.