New Mexico St. @ Miami preview

Miami entered this weekend’s Diamond Head Classic as heavy favorites, and that remains the case following Friday’s first-round victory over host Hawaii. The No. 7 Hurricanes, one of four remaining unbeaten teams in Division I, aim for their 11th straight victory Saturday when they face New Mexico State at the Stan Sherriff Center in Honolulu.

Center Dewan Huell and guard Ja'Quan Newton scored 16 points apiece in Friday’s 75-57 victory over Hawaii, which tied the game at the half before fading beneath Miami's pressure in the second half. Guard Bruce Brown Jr. had four points, five rebounds and eight assists for the Hurricanes, who are off to their best start since 2007-08 and rank second in the nation in scoring defense at 56.4 points per game. “I don't feel like we are at our peak right now,” guard Anthony Lawrence told reporters before Friday's game. “I still think we have a lot of things to work on like getting more into the offense, being more aggressive in the first half and keeping that aggression up in the second half.” Miami will look for a quicker start against New Mexico State, which is aiming for its fifth straight win after opening tournament play with a 69-68 victory over Davidson.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT MIAMI (10-0): The Hurricanes won Friday despite a quiet game from guard Dejan Vasiljevic, who was held to six points on 2-of-7 shooting after averaging 14.0 points over his previous four games. Coach Jim Larranaga continues to be impressed by the play of freshman guard Lonnie Walker IV, who had eight points and two steals off the bench against Hawaii and is averaging 14.8 points over his past four contests. Miami is outscoring teams by an average of 20.4 points but has yet to be tested by a ranked opponent, with its best non-conference victory coming against Minnesota.

ABOUT NEW MEXICO STATE (10-2): Guard Zach Lofton averages a team-high 18.8 points on 51.3 percent shooting to lead the Aggies, who were picked to finish second in the WAC preseason coaches poll. Lofton, the reigning WAC player of the week, Lofton registered 10 points and eight rebounds in the win over Davidson while forwards Eli Chuha and Keyon Jones had 13 points apiece. Jemerrio Jones averages 10.5 points and a team-high 11.1 rebounds for the Aggies, who lost to Saint Mary’s last month but have recorded wins over Colorado State and Illinois.

TIP-INS

1. The winner faces Middle Tennessee State or USC in Monday’s championship game, while the other two teams meet the same day in the third-place contest.

2. New Mexico State is shooting 62.2 percent from the foul line, which ranks last in the WAC.

3. Miami is 62-11 when scoring 70 or more points under Larranaga.

PREDICTION: Miami 81, New Mexico State 63