For the first time in nine years, UTEP men's basketball has sold out the Don Haskins Center in anticipation for the Battle of I-10 matchup against NM State on Saturday.

UTEP men's basketball (12-3) enters the game on a six-game win streak, while the Aggies (9-6) have won five consecutive. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. with our coverage on 600 ESPN El Paso beginning at 6:30 and MinerTalk, presented by Jack in the Box, will follow the broadcast.

"Lot of excitement around this game and that's a good thing," said Golding, who has a 2-4 overall record all-time against NM State at UTEP and split the series last year against Jason Hooten's Aggie squad. "It's the way this (rivalry) should be. You have two teams playing really, really good basketball right now and it should be a fun night."

UTEP is asking fans to wear blue in their first "blue out" promotion. This is the first sell out at the Haskins Center since UTEP celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1966 National Championship team in their matchup against Western Kentucky on Feb. 6, 2016. The last time a game in this rivalry series was sold out in El Paso came in 2004 when the Miners beat the Aggies, 79-61.

600 ESPN El Paso will host a special pre-game party at The District Pub & Kitchen West (3233 N. Mesa) starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, featuring giveaways, prizes and ticket giveaways. The District West will also televise the Battle of I-10 for fans looking to watch it live.

Golding and company have won nine of their last 10

This is the best start to a season for the Miners since they started 13-3 in the 2010-11 season under Tim Floyd. This year's squad under Joe Golding is fresh off back-to-back convincing wins against strong CUSA teams in LA Tech (70-60) and Sam Houston (81-72).

They are having success in all the areas that makes a good Golding team. They are first in the NCAA in turnovers forced (18.9 per game) and steals per game (11.6). But, two key areas they improved on from last year are evident: 3-point shooting and turnover margin. They flipped from one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in NCAA last year (31%) to one of the best this year (38.7% 3-point percentage, 22nd in NCAA). They averaged nearly a -2 turnover margin last year and improved to a +1.1 this year, which is actually 8th best in the country.

"There's still a lot of room for growth on both ends of the floor," Golding said. "I don't want this group to get comfortable. The good thing is we have a lot of guys back and they understand the process."

Scouting the Aggies

After they lost five straight in non-conference play spanning from late November to early December, the Aggies were able to inject an early season turnaround when they upset New Mexico at The Pit, 89-83, in overtime on Dec. 7. Since then, the Aggies have won six of their last seven, most recently downing LA Tech by 30 points, 78-48.

Senior guard Christian Cook (15.2 points per game) is coming off a CUSA Player of the Week honor and will be a key for the Miners to try and stop. Cook is averaging 19.4 points per game for the Aggies since their win at New Mexico in early December. Forward Robert Carpenter is another players that the Miners will need to slow down coming off the bench.

The rebound margin is going to be one to watch Saturday. NM State is third in CUSA in offensive rebounds per game (12.5) and they are in the middle of the conference in rebound margin (+4.4). UTEP is near the bottom of both categories in the conference. Defensively, they hold opponents to shooting 39% from the field, second-best in CUSA.

Prediction: UTEP 79 - NM State 76

Does anyone remember the infamous Vince Hunter rally in the Battle of I-10 for UTEP? NM State had UTEP in the bag, up by over double figures in the second half at the Haskins Center on Nov. 22, 2014. Hunter splashed a pair of 3-pointers in a big run for the Miners, as they chipped away at the deficit and squeezed past the Aggies at the end, 77-76.

This game could end up going the same way.

The Aggies are playing their best basketball of the season, just like the Miners. UTEP senior Otis Frazier III is the key player to watch in this game. He took over in the LA Tech home win with 21 points and 11 rebounds. He will be switching all over defensively against the Aggies to create havoc and will be asked to be a steady scorer for them on offense. Another key player to watch on UTEP is Corey Camper Jr. While Devon Barnes (10.9 points per game) and Ahamad Bynum (10.7 points) can each have their respective on/off nights, Camper Jr. has proven he can be a top two-way player for this squad. Camper Jr. is averaging a career-best 12.5 points and 2.5 steals per game.