THE OPENING TIP
• Following a double-digit loss to Liberty on the street (83-58) the Aggies have now fallen right into a six recreation dropping streak. Hooten’s group now goes to 11-18 general and 5-9 in convention play.
• NM State will collide with Jax State for its fifteenth recreation of convention play this season, with the Gamecocks are at the moment coming off a house loss versus UTEP (72-65) on Thursday to maneuver to 6-8 in convention play.
• Thursday would be the Aggie’s second time lacing up in opposition to the Gamecocks this season with the Aggies popping out on prime at house in a nail-biter (67-65). NM State seems to get the ball again rolling after dropping its final six video games.
FRESH START
• Coming into the season, NM State is the one program within the nation with a completely new roster as zero gamers from the 2022-23 marketing campaign will take the ground for the Aggies this season.
• Tasked with constructing a roster from scratch that can be anticipated to be aggressive instantly, Head Coach Jason Hooten opted to usher in guys with expertise as all however one Aggie on this 12 months’s roster has performed basketball past the highschool degree. This consists of 12 people with collegiate expertise and one with expertise within the NBA International Academy. Of the 13 gamers which have collegiate expertise, eight have expertise on the Division I degree.
NEW YEAR, NEW LEADER
• After spending the final 13 seasons because the bench boss at Sam Houston, Jason Hooten takes over an Aggie program in want of a refresh button.
• Many are assured Hooten has what it takes to return the Aggie program again to glory as he begins his tenure after compiling 261 wins, posting a .607 win proportion and serving to the Bearkats to 6 postseason appearances. With the success, Hooten finally departed Huntsville, Texas, as this system’s all-time winningest coach.
• In his closing 12 months with Sam Houston, Hooten helped lead the ‘Kats to this system’s first-ever look within the NIT Match. As soon as the Bearkats reached the nationwide event, they made some noise – defeating Santa Clara within the opening spherical. Throughout final 12 months’s historic season with Sam Houston, Hooten additionally led his Bearkats to upset street wins over a pair of Energy 5 packages in Oklahoma and Utah. The Aggies can be trying to soak up a few of that magic on Monday once they tackle their blue blood opponent
ROOM TO GROW
• Of their first season as a member of Convention USA, the Aggies had been projected to complete eighth within the nine-team league in response to a vote of the convention’s 9 head coaches.
• This underdog function is new territory for the Aggie program as they turn into associates with CUSA after a run within the Western Athletic Convention that included seven common season titles and 10 event titles throughout their 18-year stint as a member of the WAC.
• In actual fact, throughout the Aggies’ 18 years within the WAC, NM State was chosen to complete inside the highest three of the coaches ballot yearly besides for his or her inaugural season by which they had been additionally tabbed to complete eighth. Throughout that stretch, the Aggies had been labeled preseason favorites 9 instances.
TOURNAMENT TIME
• NM State’s 10 convention event titles since 2006 are the second-most within the nation. Solely the WCC’s Gonzaga (14) has extra.
BUILDING A FOUNDATION
• Though, this can be Jason Hooten‘s first 12 months with this system, the previous Sam Houston coach has accomplished his greatest to encompass himself with acquainted faces as two employees members and beginning middle Kaosi Ezeagu from the Bearkats additionally made the journey from Huntsville to Las Cruces throughout the offseason.
• Final season, Ezeagu served as a vocal chief on Sam Houston’s squad and began all 33 video games that he appeared in and paced the Bearkats in blocks with 16 on the season.
• Along with Ezeagu, Assistant Coach Payne Andrus and Graduate Assistant Terryonte Thomas had been additionally contibutor’s to the success of the Bearkat program final season.
POWER FIVE AGGIES
• The 2023 NM State roster options two Aggies who’ve hung out on Energy 5 rosters as Kaosi Ezeagu (Kansas State) and Femi Odukale (Pitt) every performed among the many better of one of the best throughout their collegiate careers.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
• The Aggies have made it their mission to guard house courtroom and have held true to that. NM State is now 11-3 at house.
• On prime of the Aggies being 11-3 at house, in addition they are main Convention USA in recreation attendance this season with a mean of 5,367 followers per contest. Versus Jax State, NM State hosted its "Pack the Pan Am" recreation bringing out 11,278 followers in attendance, essentially the most of any CUSA group this season.
• For greater than a decade, the ‘Panamaniacs’ have helped the Aggies be probably the most dominant groups within the nation from their house flooring. Relationship again to the 2011-2012 season, NM State is 162-21 in contests from the Pan American Heart.
RUNNIN’ WITH RAWLS
• This season, Jordan Rawls has emerged as one of many prime guards in Convention USA. The Chattanooga, Tenn., native leads the Aggies in assists per recreation at (3.5). Rawls has already eclipsed his excessive for assists in a single season with 98.
• Moreover, he has been distinctive at caring for the ball and ranks third within the league in help to turnover ratio (1.63).
• Of notice, Rawls is among the most skilled gamers in the entire convention. Together with his three seasons with Western Kentucky, he has now performed in 116 video games as a member of a Convention USA establishment. This ranks third amongst lively CUSA gamers, coming in behind solely FIU’s Javaunte Hawkins and Petar Krivokapic who’ve every performed in 119 video games.
BALANCED ATTACK
NM State boasts a balanced offensive effort with eight gamers averaging between 7.1 and 10.9 factors per recreation. The Aggies additionally characteristic 10 student-athletes averaging at the very least 2.4 rebounds per recreation. Femi Odukale paces NM State in each classes, averaging 10.9 factors per recreation together with 6.3 rebounds per recreation.
DEFENSE ON THE RISE
• The Aggies have made strides in defensive proficiency which has been a key denominator of their latest contest. With this elevated defensive presence, the Aggies now maintain challengers to 41.8% from the sector which now has them ranked 72st within the nation and third in CUSA in area aim proportion protection.
HOME HOLDS HOPE
• Dwelling courtroom has absolutely been a bonus for the Aggies. Earlier than falling to Sam Houston for its first house convention lack of the season, NM State held a six-game win streak within the Pan American Heart.
• In that six-game stretch, the Aggies averaged a +6 scoring margin whereas holding visiting opponents to taking pictures solely 37% from the sector and 25% from past the arc.
SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
• Jax State will enter Saturday with a 14-15 (6-8) document. The Gamecocks are twenty sixth within the nation in rebound margin (6.4), which is first in CUSA. The Gamecocks are additionally 52nd within the nation in bench factors per recreation (25.1) which holds third place in CUSA.
• Jax State is led by Ray Harper who’s in his eighth season main as head coach. Harper has lengthy resume of expertise in faculty basketball spending 25 seasons as a head coach at 4 completely different establishments (Kentucky Wesleyan, Western Kentucky, Oklahoma Metropolis, and Jacksonville State). Final season, Harper led the Flames to a 13-18 general document and went 6-12 in ASUN convention play
• The Gamecocks are led in scoring by Kyky Tandy, who posts 17.9 factors per recreation. Tandy has the best factors per recreation common in CUSA. The senior switch from Xavier is ranked forty ninth in complete three level proportion (38.2) and 62nd within the nation in complete factors (520).
• Lastly, the Aggies must cope with Juwan Perdue, the 6’6 senior ahead is averaging 5.8 rebounds a recreation which leads The Gamecocks on the boards.
##NM State##
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