THE MATCHUP 

Teams: Tarleton (8-9, 3-1 WAC) at New Mexico State (13-2, 3-0 WAC) 

Date: 8 p.m. CT on Thursday, Jan. 13 

Location: Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico 

TELEVISION: ESPN+ 

RADIO: Tarleton Sports Network, KTRL 90.5 FM 

Byron Anderson, Play-by-Play 

ABOUT THE MATCHUP 

• Tarleton and NMSU are meeting for the third time on the hardwood. The Texans and Aggies split the 2020-21 season series on Feb. 26-27 in Stephenville. NMSU claimed the first game 78-51. Tarleton responded the following night with a wire-to-wire 64-55 win to earn the first WAC home basketball victory in school history. 

• Thursday's ballgame is the lone contest between the two schools this season. 

• A Tarleton win would hand NMSU its first conference loss inside the Pan American Center under head coach Chris Jans. The Aggies have won 24 straight WAC home games and are 49-4 inside the facility since 2017. 

• Tarleton has won three of its last four WAC road games dating back to the 2020-21 season.  

• The Aggies are the first team Tarleton will face this season that is featured in the top-100 in both the NCAA NET Rankings and Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings. NMSU is No. 74 in the NET Rankings and No. 100 in KenPom.  

• NMSU was picked to win the WAC in both the Preseason Coaches and Media Polls.  

GAME COVERAGE 

Fans can access a live stream to the game at Plus.ESPN.com. Links to the video broadcast as well as live stats can be found on the men's basketball schedule page at TarletonSports.com. A complete radio broadcast of the game can be heard on the Tarleton Sports Network at TarletonSports.com/Watch and on the flagship station of Tarleton athletics – KTRL 90.5 FM in Stephenville. The pregame show begins 30 minutes before tipoff. 

A WIN OVER NEW MEXICO STATE WOULD 

• Extend Tarleton's winning streak to three games 

• Give Tarleton its eighth victory in its last 10 tries  

• Provide Tarleton with its first 4-1 start to conference play since the 2016-17 season  

• Mark Tarleton's sixth-ever WAC road victory  

• Signify Tarleton's seventh WAC win in its last eight tries dating back to the 2020-21 campaign  

• Improve the Texans' all-time WAC record to 9-8  

• Give Tarleton a 2-1 edge over New Mexico State in the all-time series between the schools  

• Boost Tarleton's record in January games to 7-7 as a D1 program  

• Be the Texans' 11th true D1 victory  

• Move Tarleton as high as second place in the WAC standings  

• Be the highest-rated team in the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings Tarleton has defeated 

• Hand Tarleton its second Quadrant 2 victory this season  

• Give Gillispie his 167th career D1 win 

TEXAN NOTABLES 

• With its 77-71 overtime win over Stephen F. Austin on Saturday, Tarleton has won seven of its last nine ballgames, six straight at home and six-of-seven in conference play dating back to 2020-21. 

• Tarleton led for just 30 seconds in regulation vs. the Lumberjacks before getting the game to overtime. The Texans closed the extra period on a 9-4 run, shot 80 percent from the field and were 7-7 at the line. 

• Tahj Small and Noah McDavid swept the weekly WAC basketball accolades following Tarleton's home sweep of SHSU and SFA. Small averaged 23 points per game en route to WAC Player of the Week recognition. McDavid averaged eight points and four rebounds per outing to pick up WAC Freshman of the Week honors. 

• The Texans forced 24 turnovers vs. SFA. They rank second in the WAC in turnover margin (+4.59) and third in turnovers forced per game (17.1), and fourth in steals per game (8.6).  

• Tarleton continues to lead the WAC in free throw percentage at 75.4 percent.  

• Saturday's contest vs. the Lumberjacks was very much a game of attrition. The teams were whistled for 47 combined fouls. Five players fouled out - four from SFA. Tarleton made 15 more foul shots than the Lumberjacks. The Texans canned a season-high 26 free throws in the victory. 

• Tarleton is tied with Auburn for the 19th-best turnover margin in the country.  

• Tarleton shot 50 percent combined in its 64-55 win over New Mexico State last season. The Texans knocked down 50 24 field goals and were 11-13 at the foul line. 

• Tarleton is one of just two teams in the WAC with a pair of top-10 scorers in Tahj Small (15.5 ppg, 7th) and Montre Gipson (14.9 ppg, 9th). 

INDIVIDUAL NOTABLES 

• Montre Gipson leads the nation in minutes played (603). The senior has played 39 minutes in 12-of-17 contests this season. He has gone the distance in all four WAC games this year, including the full 45 minutes vs. SFA.  

• Shamir Bogues is second in the WAC and ninth nationally in total steals with 34. 

• Tahj Small is averaging 20 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in his last seven appearances. He scored a game and career-high 28 points on 11-14 shooting (78 percent) in the Texans' 75-64 victory over Sam Houston on Jan. 6. He has scored in double figures in 12 straight games. 

• Small ranks in the top-15 in the WAC in four major statistical categories: free throw percentage (T-3rd, .865), minutes per game (4th, 34.5 mpg), scoring (7th, 15.5 ppg) and rebounding (15th, 5.7 rpg).

• Reigning WAC Freshman of the Year Freddy Hicks is playing some of his best basketball in Purple and White. Hicks has increased his scoring average from 8.2 points per game to 10.2 points per game since conference play began. He's averaging 6.3 rebounds per outing over Tarleton's last nine games. The 6-6 sophomore tallied a game-high 23 points in Tarleton's win over SFA.  

• Gipson was every bit as efficient offensively as Small and Hicks The senior scored 18 points in both of Tarleton's home victories last weekend. He also snagged six rebounds and dished out a team-high six dimes to fuel the Texans' comeback win over SFA. Gipson has eclipsed 10 points in 32-36 career games. 

• Gipson earned the distinction of becoming the first player in Tarleton's D1 era to reach 500 career points on Jan. 1 at Utah Valley. Gipson is Tarleton's active leader in points scored (543) and minutes played (1,227). 

• Hicks has been at his best on the glass inside Wisdom Gym. The 6-6 sophomore averages a team-best seven rebounds per home game. 

LAST TIME OUT: TARLETON 77, STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 71 (OT) 

• Montre Gipson drained a 3-pointer from the left baseline off an offensive rebound by Freddy Hicks to knot the game at 60-60 with 45 seconds to go. The triple was Tarleton's lone make from downtown. The Texans finished the game 1-14 from deep.  

• The Texans scored 11 of the game's final 16 points.  

• Tarleton went 4-5 from the field and was 7-7 at the foul line in the extra period.  

• Freddy Hicks finished with a game-high 23 points behind a 9-11 mark at the foul line to pair with eight rebounds and two blocks. He played with four fouls over the final 13 minutes of the ballgame.  

• Gipson and Tahj Small each tallied 18 points. Gipson dished out a game-high six assists.  

• Tarleton pestered SFA into 24 giveaways – its most in a true D1 game this season – while the Lumberjacks forced 15 turnovers of their own.  

• Tarleton was even on the glass with a taller SFA squad at 37 boards apiece and finished with a 44-32 advantage in points in the paint. 

COACH'S QUOTES  

"Our team's the toughest one in the country. I've always said that. I said it after we played at Michigan, proved it again at Gonzaga, proved it again time and time and time again. We play very few minutes, and it doesn't matter how many minutes we play. Our guys are tough as nails." - Billy Gillispie following Tarleton's win over SFA  

"If he shoots it, I think it's going in," Gillispie said. "He's a really good player. His numbers don't really show what he can do from [deep] this year, but he's a clutch guy. He's a tough guy. These guys have learned to make plays when they count the most. That was a huge play to tie it up. We got confidence." - Billy Gillispie on Montre Gipson's game-tying 3-pointer  

"He played great. Probably the best game he's played in his life, but he's capable of that. For him to be able to do that after being out with COVID, that shows you really how tough he is. He was breathing a little bit harder. I kept asking him if he needed a break and he said 'No,' and that he wanted to be in there. But he played tough just like all the rest of them." - Billy Gillispie on Tahj Small's 28-point performance vs. Sam Houston 

BEST OF THE WAC 
Tarleton is featured across the top of the Western Athletic Conference stat leaderboards in multiple categories entering the third week of conference play. 

Tahj Small 

T-3rd in free throw percentage (.865, 32 free throws made) 

4th in minutes (34.5 mpg, 517 minutes) 

7th in scoring (15.5 ppg, 233 points) 

15th in rebounding (5.7 rpg, 85 rebounds) 

Montre Gipson 

1st in minutes (35.5 mpg, 603 minutes) 

9th in scoring (14.9 ppg, 253 points) 

10th in free throw percentage (.765, 39 free throws made) 

Shamir Bogues 

3rd in steals (2.0 spg, 34steals) 

Freddy Hicks

8th in free throw percentage (.778, 56 free throws made) 

9th in blocks (0.9 bpg, 14 blocks) 

20th in rebounds (5.5 rpg, 93 rebounds) 

THE HARDEST SCHEDULE IN THE COUNTRY 

The words spoken by Gillispie on Tarleton's Preseason WAC Media Day on Oct. 19 have never been more true.  

Tarleton was ranked first in the nation in strength of schedule in the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings following its game at Gonzaga on Nov. 29.  

Six of their first seven games - all of which were on the road - came against teams ranked in the top-150 of the rankings. Three of the contests were against teams ranked in the top-10 at tipoff time. Gonzaga occupied the top spot when the teams squared off on Nov. 29, Kansas ranked No. 2 when the teams met at Allen Fieldhouse on Nov. 12 and Michigan was eighth prior to the teams' game on Nov. 24. 

In total, 13 of the Texans' games are opposite teams ranked inside the top-150 while the team will play eight top130 programs and draw five foes listed in the top-100. Tarleton has already squared off with No. 74 Wichita State and No. 89 Stanford as well as Utah Valley (No. 126), Stephen F. Austin (No. 138) and North Dakota State, which was ranked 146th when the teams met on Nov. 22. Tarleton will face New Mexico State (No. 102), Grand Canyon (No. 119) and Abilene Christian (No. 133) during conference play.  

This season, Tarleton will play three teams ranked in the top-10 of the Preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll, draw six opponents who made NCAA Tournament appearances in 2021 and face 14 opponents who posted winning records last season. Abilene Christian, Gonzaga, Grand Canyon and Michigan earned automatic berths to the Big Dance in March as conference regular season and tournament champions while Kansas and Wichita State secured at-large invitations. 

ACROSS THE RANKINGS 

NCAA NET Rankings  

Tarleton has risen 97 spots in the rankings over the last four weeks, climbing from No. 268 to No. 165 following wins in six of its last seven ballgames.  

The Texans have faced off with five teams currently ranked inside the top-85 of the rankings in No. 5 Gonzaga, No. 9 Kansas, No. 53 Michigan, No. 71 Wichita State and No. 90 Utah Valley. Tarleton is slated to draw two more foes ranked inside the top-100 this weekend in New Mexico State (No. 74) and Grand Canyon (No. 83). South Alabama was ranked 79th when Tarleton defeated the Jaguars 65-52 inside Wisdom Gym for its first win over a top-100 team.  

NET Rankings are used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee to help set the 64-team field. The NET utilizes two factors in ranking teams: Team Value Index (factors in results, quality of opponent and location) and the team's NET efficiency (metrics scaled for quality of opponent and location). The rankings do not include games played against non-Division I opponents. 

Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings 

The Texans sit at No. 167 in the rankings as of Jan. 7. Tarleton is rated sixth among its conference peers.  

NMSU, GCU, UVU, ACU and SFA are the conference's highest-rated teams. The Texans are slotted in front of Seattle U (No. 183) California Baptist (No. 229), Sam Houston (No. 236), UTRGV (No. 286), Dixie State (No. 305), Lamar (No. 310) and Chicago State (No. 346). 

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING 

"That was tough. Billy did a great job. We saw that - how they played Michigan. Even their KU game was tough deep into the second half. On short prep, we tried to get the guys ready for that and it was harder than it looked on film. We just did a great job of surviving it. Intense, pressure on the basketball, and they front, they rake you in the lane, and they reach, and poke, and grab, and they do a good job with it."  - Mark Few, Gonzaga head coach 

"You've got a chance to have a good team. A really good team. You've got interchangeable parts, everybody's about the same size, and as you get into the season, that will become much harder to score against because you guys are tough. You won't let bigs be bigs because you're tough." - Bill Self, Kansas head coach 

"Coach told us going in it was going to be a tough game, and they were going to pressure us a lot. That's something we didn't see against Michigan State, it was pretty much the opposite. Coach told us it was going to be a dog fight the whole time." - Christian Braun, Kansas guard 

"Tarleton is very good at getting into passing lanes, being active with their hands, feet, and their energy." - Juwan Howard, Michigan head coach 

"We got what we signed up for. They're scrappy. They play incredibly hard. They're arguably one of the hardest-playing teams in the country. They're really well-coached. Coach Gillispie is a great coach. I'm from Kentucky. I remember when he coached at Kentucky, Texas A&M and UTEP. He's done this for a long time. He's got a scrappy group. We saw it when they went to Gonzaga, we saw it when they went to Michigan, we've seen it every game they've played. They made us uncomfortable." - Richie Riley, South Alabama head coach 

"Billy Gillispie's teams really get after you defensively." - Isaac Brown, Wichita State head coach 

"The pressure certainly bothered us. Their game plan was really, really good, and they executed it very, very well." - Jerod Haase, Stanford head coach 

TAHJ SMALL, NOAH MCDAVID SWEEP WAC WEEKLY AWARDS 

Tahj Small was named the TicketSmarter WAC Player of the Week for Jan. 3-9 after leading Tarleton to home victories over Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin on Jan. 6-8. Additionally, Noah McDavid was chosen as the WAC Freshman of the Week for his efforts in helping the Texans secure the wins.  

A 6-4 guard, Small becomes the second player in program history to receive WAC Player of the Week honors. He joins position-mate Montre Gipson, who received the recognition on March 8 at the conclusion of the 2020-21 campaign.  

Small averaged 23 points per game in Tarleton's home sweep of its east Texas rivals. The Durham, North Carolina native delivered the best all-around performance of his two-year Texan career in Tarleton's wire-to-wire 75-64 defeat of the Bearkats on Jan. 6. The senior racked up a game and career high 28 points on 11-14 shooting in the Texans' win. 

His 28 points scored were an individual game high in true Division I games for Tarleton this season. Small was as efficient and aggressive as he's been offensively in the first half. He scored 16 of Tarleton's first 25 points behind a 4-4 mark from downtown and ended the half with 18 points scored to stake the Texans to a 42-31 lead.  

Defensively, recorded a game, season and career high four steals. He played the full 40 minutes and did so despite missing Tarleton's previous two games due to COVID-19 protocols.  

Small followed up his career night with an 18-point, five rebound effort in a come-from-behind 77-71 overtime victory over SFA two days later. He scored on two of Tarleton's first three possessions in overtime to give the Texans a 68-66 lead they never relinquished. Small was 6-6 from the foul line in the victory.  

McDavid's accolade is equally significant. He is the first player in Tarleton basketball history to receive WAC Freshman of the Week honors.  

The 6-5 guard was instrumental in helping Tarleton upset the Lumberjacks on Saturday. McDavid played 40 minutes for the first time in his career, finishing with six points along with career-highs in rebounds (five) and steals (three).  

His lone field goal of the night was one of the biggest buckets of the evening. With Tarleton nursing a 68-67 lead with under 3:00 to play in overtime, McDavid attempted a 3-pointer from the left baseline. The shot clanged off the front iron, but McDavid curled right around two Lumberjack defenders, secured his own rebound and converted a contested second-chance layup to keep Tarleton in front 70-67 with 2:20 to play.  

The Texans closed the game on a 9-4 run beginning with McDavid's layup.  

Two days prior, McDavid scored nine points on the strength of three makes from downtown in 37 minutes of action in the Texans' win over the Bearkats. McDavid was a part of Tarleton's best shooting night of the season. The Texans shot a season-high 59 percent (30-51) from the field and were 8-13 from long range in the first half. 

BOTHERSOME BOGUES 

Few players have been as big of a thorn in the side of opponents defensively than sophomore Shamir Bogues.  

The 6-5 guard ranks second in the WAC and eighth in the nation in total steals with 34 as of Jan. 11. He is third amongst his conference peers in steals per game (2.0).  

His two-swipe effort against Sam Houston on Jan. 8 was his 18th multi-steal game in his two-year Texan career and eighth this season. Bogues' seven steals at South Alabama were a conference single-game high.  

For his career, Bogues has recorded four-or-more steals on six occasions and reached three steals in 14 of his 36 games in Purple and White. He is Tarleton's active leader in career steals with 71. Bogues averaged four steals per contest as a senior at Killeen Ellison High School. 

GIPSON RACKING UP THE ALL-WAC ACCOLADES 

On Oct. 19, the 5-11 senior made history when he became the first basketball player in Tarleton's WAC and D1 era to receive Preseason All-WAC first team honors as voted on by the conference media. Gipson was one of just eight players to receive the distinction. He was also named to the Preseason Coaches' All-WAC Second Team. 

The accolade continued Gipson's inceptive two-year run at Tarleton. In April 2020, he became the first-ever Division I basketball signee in Tarleton sports history when he followed Gillispie from Ranger College to Stephenville. Following a standout 2020-21 campaign, Gipson was named to the All-WAC Newcomer and Honorable mention teams. He was also the first men's or women's player in school history to receive TicketSmarter WAC Player of the Week recognition after picking up the honor for March 1-7. 

Gipson earned his quartet of credentials on the strength of one of the best individual offensive seasons in the WAC last winter. He led Tarleton in points per game (15.3), assists per game (3.0) and free throw percentage (85.2) and his 50 percent mark on 3-pointers ranked first in the WAC. The 5-11 guard accounted for exactly 20 percent of Tarleton's field goals made with 106. His 290 points scored were tops on the team and represented 19.7 percent of the Texans' cumulative scoring. 

GIPSON STARS IN BIGGEST GAMES IN SCHOOL HISTORY 

The national stage and high-profile matchups have elevated the play of the Preseason All-WAC first team honoree.  

Gipson scored in double figures 11 times during nonconference play and led Tarleton in scoring five times. His 15 points vs. Stanford were a team high as were his 16 at Wichita State and 17 in Ann Arbor. 

Despite his listed height of 5-11, Gipson has been one of the Texans' most consistent rebounders in primetime. He tied for the game-high on the glass with seven boards at No. 20 Michigan, finished with six rebounds at North Dakota State and No. 3 Kansas. Gipson leads Tarleton in offensive rebounds with 31 and is third on the team in rebounds per game (5.1).  

Gipson was a pest at No. 3 Gonzaga. He led Tarleton with five assists and swiped the ball away a game-high three times. He then scored a season-high 29 points vs. SAGU on Dec. 8 and led all scorers with 27 points in Tarleton's 65- 52 victory over South Alabama on Dec. 17. 

SMALL PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF 

Small delivered one of the finest performances of Tarleton's D1 era against arguably the best team in the country, tallying a game-high 25 points at Gonzaga on Nov. 29. Small led all scorers, knocked down a game and career-high five attempts from long range and led Tarleton in rebounding with seven boards.  

He followed up the performance with a 24-point effort on 9-16 shooting to lead all scorers in Tarleton's first of two games against South Alabama on Dec. 14. Small then netted a game and career-high 28 points on 11-14 shooting to pace Tarleton to a 75-64 win over SHSU on Jan. 6.  

The Troy transfer has recorded two double-doubles this season. He scored 13 points and snagged 10 boards vs. Southwestern Assemblies of God on Dec. 8 and delivered a 16-point, 12-rebound performance vs. South Alabama on Dec. 17. 

The 6-5 guard has increased his scoring and rebounding averages considerably from 2020-21. He is tallying 15.5 points per game compared to 9.2 in his first year in Stephenville. Small leads Tarleton in scoring and rebounding (5.7 rpg). 

FOUR ALL-WAC HONOREES IN FIRST OF FOUR D1 TRANSITION YEARS 

Hicks headlined Tarleton's list of award winners last season when he was named the conference's Freshman of the Year on March 9. The award was voted on by conference head coaches, who could not vote for their own players.  

No freshman in the conference enjoyed as strong a second half as the Searcy, Arkansas native. The 6-6 swingman led all WAC first-year players in scoring (8.2 ppg) and elevated his game as the schedule shifted to conference play, averaging 8.6 points and a team-high 6.4 rebounds per game. Hicks led Tarleton with three double-doubles, all of which came on the road vs. conference opponents. He posted seven double-digit scoring games, including three in Tarleton's final five WAC games. 

Shakur Daniel and Small joined Gipson and Hicks atop the All-WAC pedestal, as they each were named to the All-Conference honorable mention team in March. Daniel was Tarleton's 'glue guy (7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.6 apg) while Small was Tarleton's leading rebounder (5.8 rpg) and ranked third in the WAC in 3-point field goal percentage (45.7). 

NO PLACE LIKE HOME 

Since 2007, Wisdom Gym has arguably been the toughest venue to play in over the state of Texas at any classification. Tarleton is 206-36 (.851) in home games over the last 15 years.  

The Texans were 6-3 at home in 2020-21. From 2007-2017, the Texans lost just 17 times at home. Tarleton posted a perfect 15-0 home record during the 2010-11 season. The program's 18 home victories against one defeat marked its most home wins in a single season.  

Under legendary head coach and current Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Lonn Reisman, Tarleton went an astounding 171-22 (.886) at home from 2007 through the 2017-18 season, when he stepped down as head coach and transitioned into a full-time Athletic Director role. Tarleton eclipsed two home losses just once in Reisman's final 11 years as the head man.