NM State
Game 10 Preview: at NM State
12/20/2025 9:05:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game 11 • at New Mexico State
Las Cruces, N.M. • Pan American Center
Sam Houston (7-3) vs NM State (6-3)
Sunday, Dec. 21 • 3 PM CST
TV: ESPN+
RADIO: BSN
HOW TO FOLLOW: Live Stats • @Bearkats_MBB
Series vs the Aggies: Sam Houston leads 6-3
Las Cruces, N.M. — Sam Houston will be opening Conference USA play earlier than usual this season with a trip to New Mexico State on Sunday.
Tipoff for the game is set for 3 p.m. and will air on ESPN+. The game can also be heard online on the Bearkat Sports Network with Carlos Zimmermann on the call.
Kats notch key road win at Oregon State
The Bearkats withstood several clutch runs by Oregon State to coast to an 85-74 victory at Gill Coliseum on Wednesday. Kashie Natt led Sam Houston with 19 points, Po'Boigh King added 18 and Veljko Ilic poured in 15 and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Kats dominated the glass, outrebounding the Beavers 46-26.
The Bearkats closed the first half strong and picked up right where they left off the begin the final 20 minutes. King, Damon Nicholas Jr., who finished with 10 points, and Natt all scored to extend a nine-point lead at the half to 57-41.
Oregon State went on an 8-0 run to get back within seven as Sam Houston went close to six minutes without scoring. Ilic finally ended the drought with a hook shot, and after a defensive stop, Natt added a 3-pointer and a layup to make it 71-59.
King delivered the dagger when he was fouled making a 3. He calmly dropped the free throw in for a rare four-point play and a commanding 12-point lead in the final minutes.
Walker earns weekly CUSA honor
Jacob Walker has been a spark coming off the bench this season and after a solid week he was named the league's Freshman of the Week, CUSA officials announced on Dec. 8. He averaged 15.0 in a 10-point loss at undefeated Oklahoma State on Dec. 2 and a 12-point win at Texas Southern on Dec. 6. He scored a career-high 17 points against the Cowboys. The true freshman was 3 for 6 from 3-point range, including a 3 and a pair of free throws for his own 5-0 run to pull Sam Houston within 72-70 with just over five minutes to go in the game. He followed that with 13 points and five rebounds Saturday as the Kats topped TSU 82-70.
Making it count from long range
Sam Houston has made 45 3-pointers in its last four games. The Bearkats went 14 for 37 in a loss to Oklahoma State after going 16 for 27 in a win over Idaho to close out the Holiday Hoops Classic in Boise with a perfect 2-0 record. They made five more in a 12-point win over Texas Southern on Dec. 6 and drilled 10 in the win over Oregon State.
Bench getting it done
Sam Houston has to replace 96 percent of its scoring from last season. The Bearkats scored 2,411 total points with 92 of those coming from sophomore returners Jaxson Ford (69 points) and Cheik Ndiaye (23), accounting for just 4 percent of last year's scoring. The bench has come through so far this season as the Kats rank 20th in the country in bench points at 36.10 per game. Sophomore Isaiah Manning is third on the team in scoring averaging 11.2. Freshmen Jacobe Coleman and Jacob Walker are adding 9.4 and 7.4 points off the bench, respectively.
Kats in the national stat rankings (As of Dec. 19)
Sam Houston likes to run and is ranked 16th in the country and first overall in CUSA in fastbreak points per game at 18.10. Aside from being 20th in the country in bench points and first in CUSA (see above information on the bench), the Kats are 21st overall and first in the league in free throw percentage at 77.6, 11th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game at 14.8, 12th in total rebounds (42.9) and 21st in 3-point percentage defense at 27.5.
Sam Houston moves up in NET Rankings
Sam Houston is ranked No. 73 in the latest NCAA NET rankings (as of Dec. 19), which is the highest in CUSA ahead of WKU at 127. When the rankings were released, the Kats were 78th. The highest-ranking Sam Houston has had was seventh when the NCAA introduced NET rankings for the first time in December 2022.
