BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The CSU Bakersfield (7-9, 0-1 WAC) men's basketball team has two big Western Athletic Conference games this week, both in the Icardo Center where the Roadrunners have a 4-1 record this season.  Saturday's game against New Mexico State is the WAC Game of the Week for the Western Athletic Conference.

First, on Thursday night, Jan. 11, the `Runners will host UTRGV, a team CSUB swept last season, including a 75-53 thrashing in the Icardo Center.  UTRGV comes to Bakersfield with a 9-8 overall record and a 1-0 WAC record.  Similar to CSUB, UTRGV has played a tough schedule to get them prepared for WAC play.  UTRGV lost by 10 to Georgia Tech and also played and lost to No. 9 Texas A&M and Oklahoma State.  But the quality of those teams has UTRGV ready to compete in the WAC.

Nick Dixon leads UTRGV in scoring at a little more than 20 points a game and Xavier McDaniel Jr. is the only other player in double digits at 11.1 points a game.  McDaniel Jr. also leads the team in rebounding at six boards a game. 

New Mexico State comes to the Icardo Center on Jan. 13 with a record of 13-3 and 1-0 in the WAC.  The Aggies have played a tough non-conference schedule as well and they have the biggest win for the WAC this year.  NMSU defeated sixth ranked Miami 63-54 back on Dec. 23 and they also defeated Illinois a week earlier.  Zach Lofton is averaging 18.9 points a game to lead the Aggies and is also grabbing 5+ rebounds a game as well.

The `Runners will have revenge on their mind on Saturday night after New Mexico State defeated CSUB in the finals of the WAC tournament last season and kept the number one seeded `Runners out of the NCAA tournament.  But it all worked out in the end for CSUB as they made a run through the NIT and eventually lost in the semifinals at Madison Square Garden.

CSUB Head Coach Rod Barnes continues to preach consistency for this `Runners squad.  And Coach Barnes is not just talking game to game, he is talking half to half.  "We were great defensively in the first half at Utah Valley," Barnes said.  "But then it was a completely different story in the second half."   

The `Runners went winless on this last road trip after the big win at home over Georgia Southern back on Dec. 16.  The `Runners have done a great job this season of protecting their home floor and these two games this week at the Icardo Center may be just what the doctor ordered to get CSUB back to .500 overall and to 2-1 in conference play.

Both games this week are scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff at the Icardo Center and you can also watch both games on ESPN3.