LAS CRUCES - New Mexico State will look to win its 20th straight when it meets Auburn in the NCAA Tournament.

It's a match-up of two conference tournament winners.

The 12th-seeded Aggies, 30-4, captured the Western Athletic Conference while No. 5 Auburn was the surprise champion of the Southeastern Conference.

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They'll play Thursday in the Midwest Region in Salt Lake City at 11:30 a.m., on TNT. The winner takes on either No. 4 Kansas or No. 13 Northeastern in the next round of the Midwest Region.

"I know (Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl) well and I've know him for a long time," Aggies coach Chris Jans said. "One of my best friends in the business is Steve Forbes, who used to work for (Pearl) at Tennessee. I know they are going to be very athletic and I know they will be well coached. That is pretty much all I know about them right now."

Jans and the Aggies were eliminated from last year's NCAA Tournament as a No. 12 seed against No. 5 seed Clemson.

"I think last year's experience is really going to help us," Jans said. "I know the program has had success and lots of opportunities in the the NCAA Tournament. This is the second time for us and last year was new for all of of us. I think after being on that platform, we have guys who can tell the new guys or the younger guys what it's like and it will help us play more like ourselves."

AJ Harris is one of the returners from last year's NCAA Tournament team, who looks to lead NM State to an upset on Thursday.

"The biggest challenge is the adversity, the excitement of the fans, the crowd and the intensity," Harris said. "There is nothing like it. It is no regular game and there is no feeling like this."

As a 30-win team on a 19-game win streak, the Aggies will be a trendy pick to advance this weekend.

Seth Davis, one of the analysts on the NCAA Selection Sunday show, is predicting NMSU to not only beat Auburn, but to reach the Sweet Sixteen with a victory over Kansas.

"I think a very dangerous team here is New Mexico State," he said.

New Mexico State NCAA Tournament tickets go on sale Monday

The New Mexico State men’s basketball team is headed to Salt Lake City, Utah, for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament against the fifth-seeded Auburn Tigers on Thursday, March 21, inside the Vivint Smart Home Center.

Tickets for NM State’s first-round action against the Tigers will go on-sale at the Pan American Center ticket office beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday. Fans can purchase tickets by coming to the ticket office or by calling 575-646-1420. Tickets are priced at $125 per ticket while Aggie Athletic Club members and season ticket holders get priority.

Sports Editor Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or jgroves@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.

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