New Mexico State (5-2) vs. UTEP (4-2)
Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas; Friday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: New Mexico State goes for the season sweep over UTEP after winning the previous matchup in Las Cruces. The teams last faced each other on Nov. 13, when the Aggies shot 52 percent from the field while holding UTEP’s shooters to just 42.6 percent en route to a six-point victory.
PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE: Each team has relied heavily on their seniors this year. Souley Boum, Tydus Verhoeven and Alfred Hollins have combined to score 29 percent of UTEP’s points this season and 35 percent of the team’s points over its last five games. For New Mexico State, Teddy Allen, Jabari Rice, Johnny McCants and Donnie Tillman have collectively accounted for 64 percent of all New Mexico State scoring.
OFFENSIVE THREAT: Jamal Bieniemy has been directly responsible for 50 percent of all UTEP field goals over the last three games. The junior guard has 18 field goals and 12 assists in those games.
ASSIST-TO-FG RATIO: The Miners have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Aggies. UTEP has an assist on 32 of 60 field goals (53.3 percent) over its previous three games while New Mexico State has assists on 49 of 96 field goals (51 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The disruptive UTEP defense has forced opponents to turn the ball over on 28.5 percent of all possessions, the sixth-best rate among Division I teams. New Mexico State has a forced-turnover percentage of only 14.4 percent through seven games (ranking the Aggies 349th).
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