Breaking: Aggies will Face Gonzaga in Opening Week of Season

November 7th is when Aggies will travel to “The Kennel”

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There were a couple of pieces of breaking news involving New Mexico State athletics today. One of them is not particularly positive, and one of them is a lot of fun. I am going to hold off on the not-so-positive story until I can gather more information regarding possible current and former New Mexico State football players. In the meantime, I do have some fun basketball news to share.

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It was announced by basketball insider Rocco Miller that the New Mexico State Aggies will be heading to The Kennel in Spokane, Washington, to face the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the opening week of the 2026-27 season on Saturday, November 7. No game time has been officially announced.

This is a huge upgrade to the Aggies’ non-conference schedule and is most likely a money game that will bring a six-figure payout to New Mexico State. Gonzaga has been the epitome of excellence in college basketball for the better part of a quarter-century under head coach Mark Few, who has turned the Bulldogs into one of the most consistent programs in the country.

Last year, Gonzaga announced it would be leaving the West Coast Conference and joining the rebuilt Pac-12 Conference. New Mexico State will now be one of the first visiting teams to play on a court carrying Gonzaga’s new Pac-12 branding.

The Aggies and Bulldogs have only met once before. That game came on December 7, 2013, in the very same McCarthy Athletic Center, better known as The Kennel. Gonzaga won that contest 80-68, but New Mexico State was more than competitive, trailing just 31-30 at halftime.

Looking back at the Associated Press recap from that game, it was not one of Gonzaga’s most memorable teams. The name that immediately jumps out is David Stockton, son of NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton and a standout Bulldog in his own right.

For New Mexico State, Aggie Hall of Famer Daniel Mullings led the way with 17 points and five assists while shooting 5-of-14 from the field. Sim Bhullar was also in the starting lineup, finishing with six points, five rebounds and four blocks in just 21 minutes.

There has been plenty of criticism directed at Jason Hooten and the New Mexico State basketball program regarding last year’s non-conference schedule. To be frank, much of it was unwarranted. Scheduling is often a matter of finding available dates, willing opponents and workable travel arrangements. It is not always as simple as picking up the phone and scheduling a marquee opponent.

That said, this is a major get for Coach Hooten and his staff. The Aggies will almost certainly be double-digit underdogs, but it will be fun to see New Mexico State play in one of the most famous venues in college basketball.

And the Gonzaga game may not be the only notable addition to the Aggies’ schedule.

Sources have also told AGGREGATOR that New Mexico State may be adding another West Coast Conference opponent in the form of Saint Mary’s College. The Gaels, one of the premier mid-major programs in the country, would host the Aggies in Moraga, California.

No date has been finalized, and the game has not been officially announced. My guess is that if the matchup comes together, it could take place sometime in December. The Aggies already have their annual rivalry game against the University of New Mexico scheduled for December 5 at The Pit in Albuquerque, and the week following that contest would seem to make sense from a scheduling standpoint.

Of course, that is merely speculation on my part. At this point, the only thing I can report is that multiple sources have indicated the two schools are discussing a matchup.

Meanwhile, sources have also told both AGGREGATOR and media outlets in El Paso that New Mexico State and UTEP are expected to resume a home-and-home series despite the Miners’ move from Conference USA to the Mountain West Conference. An official announcement on that series has yet to be made.

Add it all together, and the Aggies’ non-conference schedule appears to be nearing completion. There are expected to be a couple of non-Division I opponents on the schedule, and the only major piece still missing is the announcement of a multi-team event or early-season tournament.

For Jason Hooten and his staff, this is shaping up to be a much stronger non-conference slate than many expected. Games against Gonzaga, potentially Saint Mary’s, New Mexico and UTEP would give the Aggies several opportunities to test themselves against quality competition before Conference USA play begins.

It will not be easy. The Aggies will likely be underdogs in several of those contests. But these are the types of games players want to play. They are the kinds of games fans want to watch. And if New Mexico State can pull off a major upset somewhere along the way, it could pay dividends when postseason résumés start being evaluated in March.

And no doubt AGGREGATOR reader Phil, who lives in that part of the country, will be in attendance for the Gonzaga game. I’m excited for him.

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Anyway, I felt this was worth sending out at 11 p.m. to a bunch of Aggie basketball fans who are already counting down the days until tipoff. We’re still about four months away from the start of the season, and yes, I know football is right around the corner. But let’s be honest. Basketball will always hold a special place in the hearts of New Mexico State fans.

Until next time, my friends, this is James signing off for AGGREGATOR. Thank you so very much for reading, for supporting independent journalism, and for supporting local journalism here in southern New Mexico.

Go Aggies!