Big-game buzz brings boost

Thursday, Feb. 27 \| 7 p.m. \| Phoenix, Ariz.

	GRAND CANYON LOPES (12-15, 7-6)	VS	NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (22-6, 13-0)

WATCH: FOX 10 Xtra (Ch. 45 / Cable 9), ESPN3, GCULopes.com \| LISTEN: 1580 The Fanatic, 99.3 FM, 95.9 FM \| STATS: View

Grand Canyon has plenty to play for in its final three regular-season games with a WAC Tournament No. 2 seeding on the line.

But when it came to preparing for Thursday night's visit from conference leader New Mexico State, the weight of the game was evident outside GCU Arena during every practice this week.

Starting Monday, GCU students began camping out on the neighboring Quad with the Camp Elliott population growing as the game approached.

The Aggies, winners of 31 consecutive games (28 regular season) against WAC teams, clinched their third consecutive conference regular-season title last week and come to Phoenix with the nation's second-longest active winning streak at 16 (Dayton is at 17).

New Mexico State won the teams' first meeting 72-52 on Feb. 1, when the Aggies had their first sell-out since the 2018 GCU visit to Las Cruces.

Coming off a winless road trip, the Lopes are reinvigorated by the build-up inside and outside GCU Arena.

"That stuff never gets old," GCU junior guard Isiah Brown said. "It's getting packed out there. We're going to try to do everything we can to get a win for them. I know they'll come with the energy like they always do.

"It'll be a great atmosphere and a good opportunity for us to bounce back at home against a really good opponent. Rivalry game."

Despite GCU posting the second-best conference winning percentage since joining the WAC seven seasons ago, it has been a one-sided rivalry with the Aggies winning the past seven meetings under head coach Chris Jans. The only coaches and players involved from the last GCU win (Feb. 11, 2017) are Lopes head coach Dan Majerle and assistant coach Chris Crevelone.

GCU came close last year in the regular season twice before losing in the WAC Tournament championship game to NMSU for a second consecutive year. In this season's first meeting, the Aggies took a 27-9 lead at home by making 7 of 11 shots from 3-point range and barely allowed its lead to slip into single digits after that.

NMSU guard Trevelin Queen was out for injury that game but the 2019 WAC Tournament MVP returned to the starting lineup for the past two games, when the Aggies made 45% of their 3-pointers.

"We have to find a way to win three games, compete and get back to go into the tournament feeling better," GCU head coach Dan Majerle said. "We've got to find our defense. Our defense took a step back last week.

"You always want to have pride. You always want to beat them, especially at home, and we can beat them. But we have to play hard, the right way and with discipline. We're fighting for the second seed and that's a big deal."

The Lopes are tied for the WAC Tournament No. 2 seeding position with Seattle U and UT Rio Grande Valley, which is GCU's next visitor on Saturday.

GCU has fouled more over the past two games (24.5 times per game) and allowed more free throw points (24.5 per game) than at any point this season.

The Lopes have improved offensively, shooting 50.7% over the past five games, but now face a New Mexico State defense that ranks eighth in the nation for least points allowed per game (60.8).

"It's probably our biggest home game, a chance to do something special," GCU guard Mikey Dixon said. "We can change everything off this game. Getting back in the win column would be huge for us. It should be a lot of fun in front of our home crowd. We're pumped up."

For many Lopes, this will be the first home game that they have played against New Mexico State. It comes just as Brown has provided more scoring punch with 48% 3-point shooting in the past eight games.

New Mexico State has not gone unchallenged. It took Aggies sophomore guard Jabari Rice banking in a 3-pointer in the final seconds for NMSU to beat Utah Valley at home on Feb. 15. Kansas City, UTRGV and CSU Bakersfield also have given the Aggies late-game scares but the Aggies' depth and unselfish play keeps prevailing.

"It's a big opportunity," Brown said. "You can't dwell on last week with a test like this coming in. We have to leave everything out there on both ends of the floor to get things done. It's a blessing in disguise because a game like this after two losses could right the ship."

Lope tracks

GCU boasts the third- and fourth-leading scorers in the WAC with senior small forward Carlos Johnson (16.9 points per game) and junior center Alessandro Lever (16.8).
Johnson has a 15-game streak of double-digit scoring games.
Lever ranks 50th nationally in field goal percentage at 53.7%.
The Lopes are 7-0 when their bench outscores the opponent's reserves.
GCU ranks 32nd nationally for least turnovers per game (11.5) and 50th in free throw percentage (75.0%).
The Aggies outrebound opponents by 7.7 per game for the ninth-best rebound margin in the nation.
NMSU's Ivan Aurrecoechea and Johnny McCants lead the WAC in field goal percentage at 58.2% and 57.1%, respectively.

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.

Thursday, Feb. 27 | 7 p.m. | Phoenix, Ariz.

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Players Mentioned

Isiah Brown

Mikey Dixon

Carlos Johnson

Alessandro Lever

Grand Canyon University Athletics