No. 6 seed Texas Rio Grande Valley (9-9, 2-5) vs. No. 3 seed New Mexico State (10-7, 7-6)
Western Athletic Conference Tourney Quarterfinals, Orleans Arena, Paradise, Nevada; Thursday, 11 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Texas Rio Grande Valley and New Mexico State are prepared to match up in the quarterfinals of the WAC tournament. The only meeting between the teams this season came on March 2, when the Aggies shot 38.2 percent from the field on the way to the 18-point victory.
SENIOR STUDS: New Mexico State has relied heavily on its seniors this year. Jabari Rice, Johnny McCants, Donnie Tillman, Clayton Henry and Evan Gilyard II have combined to account for 67 percent of all Aggies scoring this season, though that number has dropped to 46 percent over the last five games.
CREATING OFFENSE: Javon Levi has either made or assisted on 44 percent of all Texas Rio Grande Valley field goals over the last three games. The senior guard has 12 field goals and 11 assists in those games.
SLIPPING AT 69: Texas Rio Grande Valley is 0-8 when it allows at least 69 points and 9-1 when it holds opponents to less than 69.
UNDEFEATED WHEN: The Aggies are 5-0 when they make 10 or more 3-pointers and 5-7 when they fall shy of that mark. The Vaqueros are 6-0 when they hold opponents to 64 points or fewer and 3-9 when opponents exceed 64 points.
PACE OF PLAY: The upbeat Texas Rio Grande Valley offense has averaged 73.6 possessions per game, the 25th-most in Division I. New Mexico State has operated at a slower pace and is averaging only 66.1 possessions per game (ranked 304th, nationally).
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