Gonzaga is hosting New Mexico State on Saturday in a rare nonconference meeting that gives the Aggies a game they needed and the Bulldogs another chance to test themselves. The teams will tip at 2 p.m. at McCarthey Athletic Center, with Gonzaga entering 1-0 and New Mexico State also 1-0.
It is only the second meeting between the schools, which is part of why Saturday's 2 p.m. meeting stands out. For New Mexico State, the trip is about more than competition. Jason Hooten said the program was at a point where it needed a game like this financially, and he thanked Gonzaga for agreeing to play because it has become harder to line up this kind of matchup.
That is the reality for midmajor programs now. Hooten said earlier this week that it is really hard to get these games anymore, and the numbers around his own schedule show why. Since he took over in 2023-24, New Mexico State has played only three high-major opponents in total, and it did not get one on the schedule last season. The Aggies were picked sixth in the preseason Conference USA poll, opened with a 73-66 win over Division II Western New Mexico on Tuesday and are still trying to build a profile that can survive a season with few chances against top-end opposition.
The matchup also carries a competitive edge that makes it more than a favor. Gonzaga's nonconference schedule includes at least 10 high-major opponents, so Saturday is not the sort of game the Bulldogs need for exposure alone. Even so, New Mexico State is viewed as enough of a challenge to matter, and that is part of the exchange: the Aggies get the money and the chance, while Gonzaga gets a game that can sharpen its team without being treated as a throwaway.
That tradeoff is what has changed in the NET era. High-major teams are more cautious about scheduling opponents that can damage a resume with a close result, which shrinks the market for programs like New Mexico State even as those programs still rely on buy games to help their athletic departments. Hooten said this kind of game will show a team what it has to fix, and with KK Robinson still limited after missing consecutive seasons with double ACL injuries and Gabe Warren already out for the year after a season-ending ACL injury in preseason action, Saturday also gives the Aggies a clear test of how much they can absorb. The next answer comes on the floor: whether New Mexico State can turn a needed game into one that actually moves its season forward.
