UTEP and New Mexico State hoops gear up for 232nd meeting in the Battle of I-10

UTEP and New Mexico State hoops gear up for 232nd meeting in the Battle of I-10 by Chas Messman Wed, November 11, 2026 at 11:00 PM KDBC - dfc81511-4898-4d0a-9de7-f48673826aa8.png Comment on this story 0 Comment Share story Share topics: Battle of I-10 UTEP New Mexico State GECU Arena Cam McDaniels Gabe Pickens Jason Hooten Joe Golding EL PASO, Texas (KFOX 14, CBS 4) — UTEP and New Mexico State may no longer share a conference, but their heated rivalry remains alive. On Friday, the two will meet for the 232nd time on the basketball court with NMSU leading the series 124-107. "I'm overly excited," UTEP guard Cam McDaniels said. "People around campus have been talking to me about it. I'm really excited to see who shows out and supports us." "It still means a lot," NMSU guard Gabe Pickens, who is one of only two players who've played in the Battle of I-10, said. "Even though they moved conferences it is still a rivalry, still going to have the same atmosphere, and the same excitement. I'm ready for that." "You have to come out punching first," UTEP forward Augusto Cassia said. "You have to send a message." NMSU has just two players returning from last season, including Pickens. Meanwhile, UTEP has none and are a completely rebuilt roster. So, both teams are still finding their identity. "Monday was our 29th day together as a team at practice," NMSU head coach Jason Hooten said. "That is not a lot of days. We have got a long way to go." "We are both learning about our teams," UTEP head coach Joe Golding said. "Thursday will tell us both a lot about our teams. I think it will show some ways to get exposed and some ways we both can get better." UTEP lost its season opener to Northern Kentucky84-76, then bounced back with a 79-60 win over Incarnate Word in its home opener. In that victory, McDaniels broke out in his second Division I game scoring 27 points. Now, the Miners will look to build on that victory against the Aggies. "We had a way better start," UTEP guard Reese Miller said. "We came out strong on both ends of the floor. We moved the ball well and defensively we turned them over." "A big word right now in our program is consistency," Golding said. "We have seen some flashes, but can we be consistent with it?" New Mexico State opened its season with a win over Western New Mexico before traveling to face No. 14 Gonzaga. The Aggies trailed by five at halftime. They trailed by 10 with 10:38 remaining in the second half, but Gonzaga pulled away to win by 41. "Playing a team that has a $17 million roster, the goal is to keep it in striking distance within the last four minutes of the game," Hooten said. "But that thing can get out from under you too and that is what happened. There was a lot of turnovers. A lot of them were just lazy passes or not stepping to catch the ball." The Aggies lost star Gabe Warren in the season opener for the season after he was injured in their opener. New Mexico State will need to find a way to make up for his production. "I though Warren might average about 14 points and six rebounds a game," Hooten said. "So it's difficult to replace, but we have a talented group. We have some guys that I think will step up to the challenge." Hooten added that they will need Jae'Coby Osborne, KK Robinson, and Caden Deffebaugh to all step up and help fill the void. Tip off at the GECU Arena at the Don Haskins Center is at 7pm on Thursday. Trending Loud booms reported before Santa Teresa Country Club fire; Oracle says PJ not involved Doña Ana County and Sunland Park crews fought a large pre-dawn fire at Santa Teresa Country Club, containing it in 45 minutes. Sheriff suggests a link to overnight “booms,” unconfirmed by officials. 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