For Starters
I-10 rivals UTEP (6-2) and New Mexico State (3-5) meet for the second time in four days on Saturday at the Don Haskins Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. MST. The Miners downed the Aggies 75-64 on Wednesday in Las Cruces.
UTEP has now registered back-to-back wins on NMSU's home floor for the first time since the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons. The Miners have also won three straight over the Aggies for the first time since November, 1989. UTEP hasn't beaten NMSU four consecutive times since December, 1987, when the Miners prevailed 68-63 in El Paso -- their sixth straight victory over the Aggies. UTEP hasn't swept NMSU in back-to-back campaigns since 1985-86 and 1986-87.
The Miners are 4-1 at home this season, and 20-2 in their last 22 games in the Haskins Center. UTEP's average margin of victory at home this season has been 23.3 points. NMSU is 0-1 on the road, falling at arch-rival New Mexico 99-80 on Dec. 1.
On The Radio
UTEP's English flagship station is KROD 600 AM. The announcers are Jon Teicher (play-by-play) and Steve Yellen (color commentary). Teicher is in his 24th season as "Voice of the Miners." Yellen played for the Miners from 1977-81 under Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins. The pregame show begins at 6:30 p.m. MST. The game will also be carried on KBUY 1360 AM in Ruidoso, N.M.
A Spanish language broadcast is available on La Consentida 1150 AM. KINT-TV weekend sports anchor Omar Ropele is the play-by-play man, and former Miner Victor Luces offers analysis.
On Television
There is no television for Saturday's game.
The Series
New Mexico State leads the series 100-90 (note: the NMSU record books show the series ledger as 97-91 in favor of the Aggies). The series is deadlocked, 47-47, in games played in El Paso. NMSU has won four of the last seven meetings between the schools in the Sun City. Seventeen of the last 20 Miner-Aggie games in El Paso have been decided by less than 10 points. Last year UTEP routed New Mexico State 85-60 in the Haskins Center. It was the Miners' biggest win in the series since defeating the Aggies 104-78 on Feb. 1, 1966 in El Paso.
Last Game
Omar Thomas scored 20 points in 19 minutes, while Filiberto Rivera returned to the lineup to record a career-high 10 assists as the Miners fought back to edge New Mexico State 75-64 at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M. on Wednesday.
UTEP trailed 28-27 at the break after shooting 32.3 percent from the floor and being outrebounded by NMSU 24-15.
With his team behind 28-24, Jason Williams scored on a three-point play with one second remaining in the half, giving the Miners momentum heading into the intermission.
Thomas got the Miners going in the first four minutes of the second half, scoring 10 of the team's first 12 points to put UTEP in front 39-36. He ended up shooting 8-11 from the field.
The Miners shot 64.5 percent in the second half, and scored a season-best 48 points in the period.
Miner senior Will Kimble contributed 12 points and seven rebounds, and Williams chipped in with 13 points. Williams also had no turnovers for just the third time in 40 games for the Miners.
Rivera, who missed the previous three games with an ankle injury, played 39 minutes and scored five points along with his 10 assists.
Byron Davis led NMSU with 17 points, followed by Robert Frazier (13 points) and Mike Mitchell(12 points). The Aggies had a nightmarish evening at the charity stripe, making nine of 18 foul shots.
Scouting The Aggies
NMSU welcomed back junior guard Duane John, who averaged 13.1 points last season, on Wednesday. A Missouri transfer, John played 14 minutes against the Miners and scored five points. He was 1-7 from the field and 0-2 from three-point range.
Junior guard Mike Mitchell has been a significant addition for the Aggies. The 6-0 transfer from Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas is averaging 12.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.4 steals this season. Another newcomer, junior center Trevor Lawrence, is averaging 11.5 points, 5.0 boards and 1.5 blocks while shooting 56.7 percent from the floor.
The Aggies opened the season by taking second place at the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, defeating Western Michigan (65-61) and Northwestern (64-61) before falling to Central Florida (62-58) in the championship game. Since then, New Mexico State has lost four of five games. The Aggies are shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from three-point range, but are averaging 16.4 turnovers per outing.
UTEP in the WAC Stats
Through Thursday's games, UTEP led the WAC in free throw percentage (.734) and turnover margin (+1.12). The Miners were second in scoring defense (59.8 ppg), and third in scoring margin (+10.5 ppg).
Individually, senior forward Omar Thomas was tied for first in steals (2.0 spg), third in scoring (19.5 ppg), sixth in free throw percentage (.774), seventh in field goal percentage (.543) and 13th in rebounding (6.6 rpg). Junior swingman Jason Williams was tied for fifth in assists (3.8 apg), ninth in free throw percentage (.719) and 15th in scoring (13.5 ppg). Junior guard Miguel Ayala was second in assist/turnover ratio (3.20) and sixth in three-point field goals made per game (1.8).
UTEP's .625 field goal percentage versus Delaware State on Nov. 21 is tied for the top effort by a WAC team early this season.
Another Sellout Projected
A capacity crowd of 12,000 is expected on Saturday when UTEP hosts New Mexico State. A sellout would be the second for the Miners in six home games, and the 10th for UTEP in its last 19 home dates. It would also be the 98th sellout in the history of the Don Haskins Center. UTEP's average home attendance for the 2004-05 season would climb to 9,386 with an audience of 12,000 on hand.
UTEP is 9-1 all-time when the Haskins Center is sold out and New Mexico State is the opponent. The only loss was on Jan. 6, 2000, when the Aggies rallied from a 10-point deficit over the final 1:47 to nip the Miners 74-73.
Finally ... Miners Hit 70
UTEP scored 70 points for the first time in six games on Wednesday when the Miners put 75 on the board in their win at New Mexico State.
Over the last three seasons, UTEP is 29-4 when scoring 70 points (3-0 this season), and 7-30 when totaling less than 70 points (3-2 this season). The Miners are 19-2 when scoring 80+ points during that span.
UTEP scored 48 points in the second half at NMSU, the most for the Miners in a period this season. The Miners shot 64.5 percent in the second half, their second-best effort of the season (69.2 percent in the first half against Delaware State). UTEP has shot 60 percent or better in three halves in 2004-05.
There are numerous reasons why the Miners have had problems scoring points early this season. Senior point guard Filiberto Rivera has been out the last three games with an ankle injury. Junior forward John Tofi is still getting himself in shape after recovering from two foot surgeries earlier this year. And UTEP's talented group of newcomers -- junior guard Miguel Ayala, freshmen guards Vernon Carr and Kelvin Davis and freshman forward Stanley Branch -- are gradually making the adjustment to Division I basketball.
Miners Winning With Defense
UTEP averaged 77.5 points during the 2003-04 season, a figure which rated 20th nationally. This year, the Miners are winning with defense. UTEP has held opponents to 39.1 percent shooting and 59.8 points per game. The Miners are second in the WAC in scoring defense behind Fresno State (59.2 ppg).
UTEP's field goal percentage defense is its best since 1973-74 (.381), and its 59.8 ppg allowed is its finest scoring defense since 1982-83 (57.6).
UTEP has also forced 137 turnovers (17.1 per game), and scored 146 points off turnovers (18.3 per game).
Only three teams have shot 50 percent against the Miners in their last 55 games.
The Miners turned in a stellar defensive effort versus Oklahoma Panhandle State on Dec. 12. UTEP allowed just 44 points, the lowest total by a Miner opponent since Air Force also collected 44 points on Feb. 8, 1992. OPSU's .279 field goal percentage was the worst by a UTEP foe since Jacksonville State shot 23 percent on Dec. 18, 1995.
Block Party
The Miners have collected 28 blocked shots in eight games, and are on pace to total 112 rejections this season. Last year, UTEP had just 86 blocked shots in 32 games, the third-lowest figure in the WAC behind San Jose State (47) and Fresno State (84).
The Miners had nine rejections each against Jackson State and Texas Tech. UTEP hadn't registered as many blocked shots in a game since Feb. 20, 2002 versus New Mexico State (10).
Senior center Will Kimble leads the Miners with eight rejections in 2004-05 (all in home games). Freshman forward Stanley Branch has swatted six shots in just 38 minutes of court time.
Bench Bits
UTEP's bench is averaging 15.0 points this season. The Miner reserves scored 35 points in the season opener against Delaware State. Over the last seven games, UTEP has received 85 points off the pine, an average of 12.1 per contest.
The Miner bench came up big at New Mexico State on Wednesday, totaling 17 points on 7-16 shooting (43.8 percent). The Miner subs shot 28 percent (21-74) in the previous six games. UTEP's bench has produced 35 points in the last two games, compared to 33 in the previous four.
Even with the recent rise in production, UTEP has trailed its opponent in bench scoring in each of the last seven games. The last time the Miners' reserves were outscored in seven straight contests was from Dec. 18, 2002 to Jan. 18, 2003, when this happened in 10 consecutive games.
The Miner reserves contributed three points versus Arizona State on Nov. 26 and two points against Texas Tech on Dec. 4, the lowest totals for UTEP since Jan. 9, 2003 at Nevada (zero bench points). Starters have scored 79 percent of UTEP's points (442 of 562) in 2004-05.
Junior guard Miguel Ayala is the Miners' top scorer off the bench this season (27 points in six games, 4.5 avg.).
Rebound of Sorts on the Boards
If there was one weakness on last year's Miner team that galloped to a 24-8 record, it was in the rebounding department. UTEP had a -0.1 rebound margin on the year, including -1.9 in WAC games, and was outboarded in 18 of 32 contests.
Improvement has been evident early in the 2004-05 campaign. The Miners have a +3.7 rebound margin through eight games. UTEP had double-digit rebound margins against Jackson State (51-30) and Arizona State (42-31). The Miners held their own on the boards against Texas Tech (trailing 41-38) after the Red Raiders entered the contest with a +11.6 rebound margin on the year.
On Nov. 30 UTEP limited IPFW to seven offensive rebounds, less than half of its season average (16.4) coming into the game.
The Miners trailed New Mexico State 24-15 in the rebounding department at halftime on Wednesday. But UTEP regrouped to enjoy a 17-12 advantage in the second half. The Miners have outrebounded six of eight opponents in the second half this season.
UTEP has a 100-89 advantage in offensive rebounds this season after trailing in that department, 410-328, a year ago. The Miners haven't ended a season with an edge in offensive rebounding since 1998-99 (295-284).
Senior forward Omar Thomas (6.6 rpg) and junior swingman Jason Williams (6.1 rpg) are the Miners' leading rebounders. The 6-5 Thomas has already had three double-double (points-rebounds) games this season after having none in 2003-04.
UTEP at the Line
Senior forward Omar Thomas was the only Miner to shoot a free throw against Texas Tech on Dec. 4. The last time UTEP sent just one player to the charity stripe was on Dec. 22, 1996 at Iowa State, when Kimani Jones-Young was credited with all four of the Miners' free throw attempts.
UTEP has shot more free throws than the opponent in six of eight games this season. The Miners had a whopping 24-5 edge in free throw attempts against Oklahoma Panhandle State on Dec. 12. The +19 discrepancy was the biggest for UTEP since Jan. 31, 2004 versus Louisiana Tech (33-10 advantage in free throws).
Last year UTEP was the only WAC school to make more free throws (614) than its opponents attempted (570). This year the pattern has been similar. The Miners have made 127 charity shots, while opponents have attempted 129.
The Miners are leading the WAC in free throw percentage (.734) for the second year in a row. It marks the ninth time in the last 12 years that UTEP has had a free throw percentage of .700 or better.
UTEP's starting backcourt of Filiberto Rivera and Giovanni St. Amant is a combined 86 percent (25-29) from the foul line in 2004-05.
Youmans Makes Debut
Freshman guard Ervin Youmans (Hobbs, N.M.) made his UTEP debut on Dec. 12 against Oklahoma Panhandle State. He had two points and two assists in nine minutes of playing time.
The 5-11, 165-pound Youmans led the state of New Mexico in scoring last year at Hobbs High School, collecting 28 points per outing. He also averaged five assists, five steals and two rebounds. A two-time All-State honoree as a prep, Youmans had game-highs of 41 points and six assists. He was the second-leading scorer in New Mexico as a junior, when he averaged 21 points.
Davis Gets Start
Kelvin Davis became the second freshman to start a game for the Miners on Dec. 12 when he was plugged into the two-guard slot versus Oklahoma Panhandle State.
The Waterbury, Conn. native responded with six points -- including two dunks -- along with two assists and two steals in 23 minutes.
Fellow frosh Vernon Carr started at point guard against IPFW on Nov. 30. Carr has led the Miner rookies with 68 minutes of playing time, followed by Davis with 55 and Stanley Branch with 40.
17-0 is Longest Run
UTEP had a 17-0 scoring run in the first half versus Delaware State, turning a 15-14 deficit into a 31-15 advantage. UTEP had a 14-0 spurt against Oklahoma Panhandle State. The Miners had runs of 21-0, 17-0, 16-0 and 15-0 (twice) during last season's march to the NCAA Tournament.
The longest opponent run in 2004-05 is 11-0 by Texas Tech on Dec. 4.
Starting Lineup is Mix-and-Match
Injuries have forced UTEP coach Doc Sadler to employ five different starting lineups in eight games this season. The Miners' current starting lineup -- Filiberto Rivera and Giovanni St. Amant in the backcourt, with Omar Thomas, Jason Williams and Will Kimble in the frontcourt -- is 3-1 this season.
Ten different players have started games for the Miners already this season. Last year, only six different players made starts.
Powerful Program
UTEP has posted an all-time record of 1,113-864 in men's basketball, a .563 winning percentage. UTEP is the only school in the state of Texas to win a national title on the hardwood (1966). The Miners have made 23 postseason tournament appearances and captured 12 WAC titles (eight regular season, four tournament).
The 1966 national champion Miners are the subject of a Disney feature film, Glory Road, coming in 2005. The film stars Josh Lucas (A Beautiful Mind, Sweet Home Alabama) as legendary UTEP coach Don Haskins and Academy Award winner Jon Voight as Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp.
The Doc is in
Although Doc Sadler is in his first season at the helm of the UTEP program, this is not his first year as a head coach. Sadler was the head coach at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith from 1998-03, fashioning a stellar 120-39 (.755) record.
Sadler orchestrated a pair of 30-win seasons during his stint at UA Fort Smith -- a 30-5 mark in 2000-01 and a 30-6 ledger in 2001-02. He led the Lions to four consecutive Bi-State East Conference championships, two NJCAA Region II championships and two trips to the NJCAA National Tournament (2001, 2002). Sadler was named Coach of the Year for NJCAA Region II in 2001 and 2002. The Lion basketball program had a 95 percent graduation rate during his tenure as head coach. He was also UA Fort Smith's athletic director for five years.
In 12 years as a Division I assistant coach -- including the 2003-04 season with the Miners -- Sadler has been associated with teams that made nine postseason tournament appearances (seven NCAA, two NIT) while coaching 19 future NBA players.
Sadler is off to a 6-2 start in his initial season with the Miners, tying the best eight-game record by a first-year UTEP coach. Don Haskins (1961-62) and Jason Rabedeaux (1999-00) were also victorious in six of their first eight games. Haskins started 9-2 and Rabedeaux started 8-2. Haskins is the only coach in school history to fashion a winning record in his first season at the helm of the program (his 1961-62 Miners finished 18-6).
Sadler is one of 37 new head coaches at Division I-A schools and one of three fresh faces in the WAC, joining Nevada's Mark Fox and SMU's Jimmy Tubbs.
Thomas Putting Up Big Numbers
Senior forward Omar Thomas has led the Miners in scoring in six of the first eight games this season. Thomas has scored 651 points in just 40 games for UTEP (16.3 avg.). The Miners are 10-8 when he leads the team in scoring, and 20-2 when he does not (including 2-0 in 2004-05).
A Philadelphia native, Thomas has accounted for 28 percent of UTEP's points and 20 percent of the team's rebounds this season. He is shooting 54.3 percent from the field and 77.4 percent from the line. Thomas is averaging 19.5 points per game. At his current pace Thomas would score 624 points during the 2004-05 season, the fifth-best output in UTEP history. Thomas is also on track to become only the third Miner to score 1,000 points in his first two years in the program. This feat was also achieved by Jim Barnes (1,308 points from 1962-64) and Antoine Gillespie (1,099 points from 1992-94).
Thomas has had three double doubles this season -- Nov. 23 versus Jackson State (25 points-15 rebounds), Nov. 26 against Arizona State (26 points-11 boards) and Dec. 12 versus Oklahoma Panhandle State (17 points-10 rebounds).
Thomas registered five steals in the season opener against Delaware State, tied for the third-top seasonal figure in school annals. He leads the Miners with 16 thefts.
He has shot a free throw in 38 of 40 career contests. Thomas has had three 20-point games this season, and 11 in his brief UTEP career. Thomas has a current string of nine straight games with 15+ points dating back to last season. He is the first Miner to accomplish this feat since Brandon Wolfram, UTEP's all-time leading scorer, had 10 consecutive 15+ point games during the 2000-01 season.
Immediate Impact For Kimble
Senior center Will Kimble is shooting a team-leading 64.9 percent from the field this season. Kimble has connected on 24 of his first 37 attempts from the floor. His career field goal percentage -- including 50 games at Pepperdine from 2000-02 -- is .573.
Kimble is averaging 8.3 points and 5.0 rebounds this season. He leads the team with eight blocked shots (all in home games). Kimble scored a UTEP-high 13 points in the season opener versus Delaware State. His best point total at the collegiate level came during the 2001-02 season at Pepperdine, when he racked up 19 points versus Point Loma. Kimble has snared seven rebounds in two games this season, already duplicating his top total as a collegian. He was named to the All-Tournament team at the Las Vegas Holiday Invitational.
Kimble was rated one of the nation's best prep players coming out of Pacific High School in San Bernardino, Calif. He was tabbed the third-best high school center in the West by SoCal Hoops. The 22-year-old Kimble has already received his bachelor's degree from Pepperdine, and is currently working on his master's in education.
Fili is Assist Leader
Senior guard Filiberto Rivera is the WAC's returning assist leader. He averaged 4.8 assists last season, third in the league behind Hawaii's Logan Lee and Rice's Rashid Smith, who have both departed.
Through five games, Rivera is averaging 11.0 points and 5.2 assists. His assist-to-turnover ratio is 26-11 this season, and 178-83 for his career -- a better than 2:1 ratio.
Rivera amassed 152 assists last season -- the sixth-top season total in school annals -- after transferring from Southeastern (Iowa) Community College where he was a member of a national championship team. Rivera's 2003 honors at Southeastern CC included first team NJCAA All-American, Junior College Player of the Year, Junior College Student-Athlete of the Year and MVP of the NJCAA Tournament.
A native of Carolina, Puerto Rico, Rivera has had more turnovers than assists just three times in 37 career games. He is shooting 43.9 percent from the field this season and 86.7 percent from the foul line. Rivera has scored in double figures in three of his last four games.
Williams Does a Little of Everything
Junior swingman Jason Williams ranked either first, second or third on the team in five statistical categories last season -- rebounding (first/6.1 rpg), scoring (second/11.6 ppg), assists (second/3.5 apg), blocked shots (third/0.3 bpg) and steals (third/1.1 spg). He was only the third forward in school history to collect 100 assists (he had 112).
Early in 2004-05 Williams is second on the team in scoring (13.5 ppg), rebounding (6.1 rpg), assists (3.0 apg) and steals (1.4 spg). He has scored in double figures in all but one game, including 19 points on 8-12 shooting versus IPFW on Nov. 30. Williams had one of his better shooting performances versus Oklahoma Panhandle State on Dec. 12, making 6-9 field goal attempts, 2-2 three-pointers and 4-4 free throws.
UTEP is 22-5 in Williams' career when he scores in double figures, 9-0 when he leads the team in scoring and 5-0 when he has a 20-point game. He and senior guard Filiberto Rivera are the only Miners who have started every game that they have played in (Williams has started 40 games and Rivera 37).
A native of Marrero, La., Williams scored his career-high 24 points at New Mexico State on Dec. 6, 2003. He absolutely torched the I-10 rival Aggies last season, averaging 22.5 points in two games while shooting 69.6 percent (16-23) from the field and 57.1 percent (4-7) from three-point territory.
Miners Take Second
UTEP notched a runner-up showing at the Las Vegas Holiday Invitational Nov. 21-27. The Miners went 3-1 in the tournament, downing Delaware State (83-50) and Jackson State (83-57) in El Paso before splitting a pair of games in Las Vegas. UTEP beat Arizona State 66-65 on Nov. 26 before succumbing to Southern Illinois 68-62 in the Nov. 27 title game. Two Miners were named to the All-Tournament team -- senior forward Omar Thomas and senior center Will Kimble. Thomas averaged 21 points and eight rebounds in four tournament games. Kimble averaged 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds while hitting 11 of his 12 shot attempts (91.7 percent).
Miners Picked First
UTEP was listed first in both the preseason WAC coaches' and media polls, which were released in October.
In the coaches' poll, the Miners received 77 total points and five first place votes. Rice was second (75 points/five first-place votes), Louisiana Tech third (59 points), Nevada fourth (53 points), Hawaii fifth (51 points), SMU sixth (45 points), Boise State seventh (32 points), Tulsa eighth (27 points), Fresno State ninth (21 points) and San Jose State 10th (10 points).
In the media poll, UTEP garnered 186 total points and 13 of a possible 20 first-place votes. Rice was second (178 points/five first-place votes), Nevada third (136 points/one first-place vote), Hawaii fourth (130 points/one first-place vote), Louisiana Tech fifth (127 points), Boise State sixth (111 points), SMU seventh (75 points), Fresno State eighth (71 points), Tulsa ninth (65 points) and San Jose State 10th (21 points).
UTEP senior guard Filberto Rivera was named first team All-WAC by the coaches, and senior forward/guard Omar Thomas was a second team honoree. Rivera was also tabbed to the media's preseason All-WAC squad.
The preseason league player of the year according to both the coaches and media was Rice senior forward Michael Harris.
More Preseason Honors
UTEP was picked first in the WAC by CBSSportsLine.com, Lindy's and The Sporting News'preseason magazines.
The Miners were pegged to finish second in the league by Athlon and third by Street & Smith's.
Senior guard Filiberto Rivera was a unanimous preseason first team All-WAC selection. Senior forward/guard Omar Thomas was a first-team All-WAC honoree by two publications (CBSSportsLine.com, Lindy's), and a second team All-WAC choice by another (The Sporting News). Thomas was also rated one of the nation's top 20 small forwards by Lindy's and The Sporting News.
Junior forward John Tofi and junior swingman Jason Williams were recognized as second team All-WAC players by CBSSportsLine.com and The Sporting News, respectively.
Sports Illustrated named Rivera one of five underrated, "Under the Radar" players in the nation in its preseason college preview.
Miners Sign Two
UTEP Coach Doc Sadler announced in November that guard/forward Moses Gonzalez and guard Stefon Jackson have signed national letters of intent to play for the Miners beginning with the 2005-06 season.
Gonzalez will have two years of eligibility at UTEP, while Jackson will have four years of eligibility.
The 6-5 Gonzalez is entering his sophomore year at Ventura (Calif.) College. He is rated the #7 junior college wing forward in the country by Lindy's preseason magazine, and is also a preseason Junior College All-American by Street & Smith's. Ventura College is ranked fifth in Street & Smith'spreseason top-25 junior college poll.
A native of The Bronx, N.Y., Gonzalez was a member of Ventura's 2003-04 team that was 23-6 and ranked ninth in the state of California. He averaged 19.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 59 percent from the field, 35 percent from three-point range and 75 percent from the line. He was a first team All-State honoree a year ago, as well as MVP of the Western State Conference. Gonzalez attended Walton High School in The Bronx, averaging 20 points as a prep senior. He is of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent.
The 6-4 Jackson is currently attending Lutheran Christian Academy in Philadelphia. He is rated the 42nd-best prep player in the country by Hoop Scoop. Jackson averaged 35 points this past summer at the Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas and was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Fall Jam Fest. He was also chosen MVP of both the Five-Star Camp and Rick Barry's Adidas All-Star Game earlier this year.
Jackson averaged 27 points last season at Lutheran Christian Academy. He averaged 18 points during the 2002-03 campaign at King High School in Philadelphia. Jackson helped King to a 22-5 record en route to being selected second team All-Public League by The Philadelphia Daily News.He also earned first team All-City honors.
C-USA in '05
UTEP will shift to Conference USA effective on July 1, 2005. The Miners will join WAC brethren Rice, SMU and Tulsa in the new-look league which will also include Central Florida, East Carolina, Houston, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss, Tulane and UAB.
Last year C-USA advanced eight men's basketball teams to postseason play (six NCAA, two NIT).
UTEP has been a member of the Western Athletic Conference since September, 1967.
Miner Nuggets
Sophomore swingman Jason Williams did not have a turnover at New Mexico State on Wednesday for just the third time in his career (40 games). It ended a string of 24 straight contests in which Williams turned the ball over at least once...junior forward Brent Murphy netted five points at NMSU after failing to score in nine of his previous 12 contests. Murphy has now scored in two straight games for the first time since January...senior guard Filiberto Rivera became the first Miner to post a 10-assist game at NMSU since Eugene Costello also had 10 assists on Feb. 17, 2001 versus Fresno State...junior forward John Tofi did not score for the first time in 65 career games against Texas Tech...UTEP has made at least one three-pointer in 113 straight games...junior guard Miguel Ayala has a 16-5 assist-to-turnover ratio this season...Texas Tech registered two Haskins Center opponent records on Dec. 4. Ronald Ross tied the record with seven steals and Devonne Giles'six blocks shattered the previous mark of four rejections by three different players...UTEP overcame a 10-point deficit to beat Arizona State. The Miners trailed 39-29 and 41-31...two UTEP road games -- at Nevada (Jan. 12) and Rice (Feb. 5) -- will be nationally televised on ESPN2...the Miners shot 62.5 percent from the field in the season opener versus Delaware State, their best effort since hitting 64 percent of their shots at Colorado State on Feb. 29, 1992...UTEP tied the NCAA record for turnaround last year, improving from 6-24 in 2002-03 to 24-8. The 17-game improvement tied the record originally established by Mercer in 2002-03...UTEP ended the 2003-04 season rated ninth nationally in free throw percentage (.752), 18th in field goal percentage (.477), 20th in scoring offense (77.5 ppg) and scoring margin (+10.0 ppg) and 25th in assists per game (16.3)...junior guard Josh Gutierrez is an El Paso native who attended Hanks High School.
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