New Mexico State to join UTEP in Sun Bowl basketball tournament

Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times
·1 min read

New Mexico State is back in the 61st Annual WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational for the first time since 1961, joining UTEP, Kent State and North Carolina A&T, the Sun Bowl announced Thursday.

A schedule has not been released and it has not yet been indicated if the Miners and Aggies, who will play each other in a non-conference home and home next season, could play each other in the tournament. It will be Dec. 21 and 22 in the Don Haskins Center.

The Aggies basketball celebrate their win against UTEP Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso.
The Aggies basketball celebrate their win against UTEP Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso.

"We are very excited to bring in New Mexico State for the first time since 1961 as we’ve been talking with athletic director Mario Moccia about this since his arrival to the Borderland,” Sun Bowl executive director Bernie Olivas said.

The Aggies finished 27-7 last season and defeated Connecticut in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Kent State had a 14-game winning streak last season that ended with a loss in the MAC championship game, while UTEP went 20-14 and advanced to the third round of The Basketball Classic.

North Carolina A&T went 12-20 last year, but won the MEAC in 2021. The A&T Aggies represent the 18th historically Black university to play in the Sun Bowl tournament in the last 23 years.

These are officially the first two games on UTEP's and New Mexico State's 2022-23 basketball schedules, though Texas has announced that it will open against UTEP in the first game of the new Moody Center in Austin.

Bret Bloomquist can be reached at 915-546-6359; bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: New Mexico State joins UTEP in Sun Bowl basketball tournament