The Gamecocks begin their furthest road trip of the season, traveling nearly 1,400 miles for their final two contests of the regular season. The trip begins with a matchup Thursday at 8 p.m. Central against the New Mexico State Aggies, before heading to El Paso, Texas for the regular season finale against UTEP.  

Jax State is looking to bounce back after Saturday's three-point loss to Liberty, the recently crowned CUSA Regular Season Champions. The Gamecocks placed five players in double digit figures against Liberty, highlighted by CUSA's current leading scorer Mostapha El Moutaouakkil, who finished with 21-points and six rebounds. Freshman, Jacoby Hill added 16 points; Jamar Franklin and Emondrek Erkins-Ford contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. Off the bench, graduate student Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. provided a needed spark and added 10 points to the Gamecocks total.  

The Aggies are coming off a two-game losing skid, dropping both of their contests last week at Western Kentucky 70-93 and at Middle Tennessee State 85-86. Offensively for NMSU, they are led by Chicago native Jarmel Jones, who racked up 34 points in the Aggies loss at Middle Tennessee, and is CUSA's fifth leading scorer averaging 17.4 points-per-game.

The matchup is pivotal for both teams, with the Gamecocks currently 9-9 in CUSA they look to fight for seeding in the CUSA Tournament. While the Aggies are 6-12 in CUSA play, a chance to snag one of the final spots in the CUSA Championship is still within reach for New Mexico State.  

The last faceoff between the two teams came only 17 days ago on Valentines Day when the Aggies took a 79-70 win over the Gamecocks in Jacksonville. Overall, this is only the sixth meeting of all time between the two teams, with New Mexico leading the overall series 4-1. 

For fans looking to follow the Gamecocks on their road stint, games will be broadcast on ESPN+ as well as radio through Mike Parris and the Gamecocks Sports Network.