Tag: New Mexico State basketball

The Rio Grande Rivalry: Preview, How To Stream, Odds & More

New Mexico vs. New Mexico State: Preview The Lobos are looking to sweep their in-state rivals this season, they have the squad to do just that. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire A surging New Mexico Lobos squad hosts in-state rivals New Mexico …

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New Mexico vs. New Mexico State: Preview

The Lobos are looking to sweep their in-state rivals this season, they have the squad to do just that.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

A surging New Mexico Lobos squad hosts in-state rivals New Mexico State in first installment of the season.

WHO: New Mexico (3-0, 0-0 in the MWC) vs. New Mexico State (1-1, 0-0 in the WAC)

WHEN: Saturday, November 18th, 5:00 PM MT

WHERE: University Arena AKA “The Pit”, Albuquerque, NM

STREAM: Mountain West Network

Line: KenPom, The Lobos are favored by 5 points

SERIES RECORD: New Mexico leads all-time series 124-102

For college basketball fans in the Land of Enchantment, the always highly anticipated Rio Grande Rivalry is a circled date on the calendar annually. Both programs always make things interesting, no matter the rankings and no matter the head coaches.

A sweep in the series is coveted and tough to achieve. Not too hard for former head coach Chris Jans, now at Mississippi State after last season’s NCAA Tournament run with the Aggies. Jans went 5-3 against the Lobos during his time in Las Cruces. Including two sweeps and four straight wins in his first two seasons. First year Aggies head coach Greg Heiar is looking to put his mark on the state’s biggest rivalry.

New Mexico comes home after a fruitful road trip to Dallas, TX. Securing a quality 83-64 win against SMU inside Moody Coliseum. This statement win puts the Lobos at 3-0 on the season. And with favoring confidence as well as momentum heading into their weekend rivalry match up.

Second year head coach Richard Pitino’s squad is really modeling that Mountain West Sleeper tag given to them in preseason coverage. A win Saturday could for the most part cement that label and put the team in great shape heading into next week and to host the Lobo Classic.

Their counterparts, the New Mexico State Aggies are in a bit of a rebuilding mode this season. Although it’s hard to call a squad with two former SEC starting guards and a Junior College First Team All-American “a rebuild”. Still, losing three time WAC Coach of the Year Chris Jans and nearly the entire roster from last season’s historic squad is tough. And the transition pains are already showing.

The Aggies are 1-1 through two games thus far. With a 49-point win over D-II opponent New Mexico Highlands in the season opener. And then a more revealing 67-64 loss on the road to I-25 rival UTEP, inside Don Haskins Arena last Saturday.

With such a heralded recruiting class, and ties to the same coaching tree coach Jans hailed from. Expectations haven’t changed in Las Cruces for coach Heiar. That means the pressure to win is on. And winning against your two rivals is a must. Already down 0-1 in that category, Saturday could either be a huge boost to morale inside the program or a nuclear bomb.

The last time these two programs met on the hardwood was Dec. 6th of last year. The Aggies secured a 76-74 revenge win inside the Pit after the Lobos secured a. Most of New Mexico State’s squad is gone from that series, and several key Lobos have yet to play in minute in this rivalry. But coach Pitino is 1-1 against their southern neighbors. While his star backcourt, Jaelen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. average 48.5 PPG combined against the Aggies.

Players to Watch:

G Jaelen House–New Mexico

The Lobos floor general and spark plug has helped lead New Mexico into the national spotlight after their 21-point road win on Tuesday. The 6-0 senior guard is averaging team best in scoring (20.7 PPG), assists (6.3 APG) & steals (3.3 SPG) through three contests. For those who have not yet caught a glimpse of him. House is a lightening quick, gritty do it all floor general for the Lobos.

With the ability to drive through traffic, shoot the open three and get down hill at will. He’s also a very capable distributor and perimeter defender. But he will face some very difficult defensive foes Saturday. In either Xavier Pinson, DaJuan Gordon or Deshawndre Washington. All lengthy, quick and strong. Well it’s a good thing House has help, to take the attention away from him for just long enough. Just look at highlights from his performance at SMU, most of his damage was done in the second-half.

G Deshawndre Washington–New Mexico State

House’s counterpart you may ask? The 6-7 Aggie floor general and swiss army knife Deshawndre Washington. The Juco transfer apparently spurned high major offers to follow his head coach from Northwest Florida State to Las Cruces this offseason. The Chicago, IL native headlined a monster recruiting class that gave fans and media following the Aggie program confidence in the transition between coaching staffs.

Washington like House has an effective partner in the backcourt, former LSU starter Xavier Pinson. Averaging 4.5 APG over two games, plenty of those looks find their way to Washington. With his frame, athleticism and skill set. The point forward can do a little bit of everything from the floor. Averaging 17.5 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 6.0 APG & 1.5 SPG through two games. While posting a triple-double in the Aggies’ season opener and double-double at UTEP.

Keys to the Game

For New Mexico: A balanced attack, Create turnovers & Stay out of foul trouble

In the Lobos’ recent thrashing of SMU on the road in Dallas, it seemed as if everything was going right for coach Pitino’s squad. To secure the first win of this rivalry series, New Mexico is going to have to provide fans an encore performance at home Saturday afternoon.

They’ll have to create turnovers and find a way to maximize those opportunities as they did in Dallas (20 points off of 15 forced turnovers). The Aggies themselves appear to be struggling with ball handling issues at the moment. With 20 turnovers to a mere 8 assists in their road loss in El Paso. The Lobos will also have to minimize defensive fouls as they did against SMU as well (only 16 Lobo fouls). To help keep their best players on the court. As New Mexico’s starters account for nearly 83.8% of the teams total scoring average at the moment.

Lastly they’ll need a balanced offensive attack against the Aggies. By balanced I don’t mean contributions from multiple players. I mean finding a way to get buckets at all speeds. The Lobos have a near top-30 fast paced playing tempo (per KenPom) in the entire country. The Aggies are not to far behind (138th) and have very capable players who could thrive in the open court.

New Mexico will have to find a way to keep their offensive tempo balanced. If their forced into a relay race or even worse a hacking contest to see who can make the most free throws to win, their in trouble.

For New Mexico State: Protect the paint, Attack the rim & Limit turnovers.

The Aggies may have had more time off to rest before Saturday’s showdown. But the momentum is almost all on the Lobos side. The visiting squad needs to find a way to protect the paint, attack the rim and play with stable ball control.

As mentioned above, the Lobos play fast. And a part of that fast game is having their guards drive to the rim, take mid-range jumpers and get the ball to their bigs. The Lobos take 70.1% of their shots from inside the arc, and make an even higher rate of those shots versus three pointers (79.9%). Coach Heiar’s squad won’t be able to be the Lobos at their own game, but slowing things down and protecting the paint could force the Lobos to attempt three point shots. An area they do lack in, making just 6.0 three-point field goals a game while shooting 32.7% from distance.

Attacking the rim may also be the key to an upset on the road. And attacking the rim and putting their starting bigs in foul trouble could hurt. New Mexico doesn’t have the most deepest frontcourt depth coming off of the bench. Removing their double-digit scoring starting frontcourt could really hurt their scoring efficiency and force House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. into tougher shots. Lastly, take good care of the ball. The Lobos thrived off of forcing turnovers last game and it could have well been the Aggies kryptonite. If they protect the ball, New Mexico State should even the playing field.

Prediction: New Mexico 78, New Mexico State 73

The KenPom line in this one is a five-point Lobo win at home. Given New Mexico’s run of form and home court advantage, I think it’s going to be a close one but a Lobo win nonetheless.

Larry Muniz covers college basketball as a writer for Mountain West Wire and WAC Hoops Digest. Also as a co-host of the college basketball podcast “Hoops Talk W/Jay & Larry”. He is also a USWBA Member.

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New Mexico State vs Abilene Christian Prediction, Game Preview: WAC Championship

New Mexico State vs Abilene Christian prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch, lines, and why each team might – or might not – win on Saturday in the WAC Championship.

New Mexico State vs Abilene Christian prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Saturday, March 12

New Mexico State vs Abilene Christian Game Preview, WAC Championship How To Watch

Date: Saturday, March 12
Game Time:10:00 pm ET
Venue: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, NV
How To Watch: ESPNU
Record: New Mexico State (25-6), Abilene Christian (23-9)
– Sign up and live stream college basketball on ESPN+

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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

New Mexico vs. New Mexico State: Game Preview, TV, Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

The New Mexico Lobos host the New Mexico State Aggies in the second round of the perennial home-and-home Rio Grande Rivalry.

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New Mexico vs. New Mexico State: Game Preview, TV, Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

Lobos, Aggies do battle in The Pit

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

New Mexico State has had a topsy-turvy season amidst injuries, but remains a tough out.

WHO: New Mexico Lobos (9-2) vs. New Mexico State Aggies (6-5)

WHEN: Saturday, December 14 — 5:00 PM MT

WHERE: Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit, Albuquerque, NM (15,411)

TV: AT&T Sports Net

STREAM: Mountain West Network (outside of regional restrictions)

RADIO: TuneIn

SERIES RECORD: New Mexico leads, 75-64

ODDS: New Mexico -3.5

PREVIEW: There are only two Division I college basketball programs in the State of New Mexico.

For the last several years it had been the New Mexico Lobos that were hobbling around mid-December, desperate (though unsuccessful) in gathering wins before conference play.

And while this team has, arguably, not gathered any marquee wins (save for maybe Wisconsin, which recently lost to Rutgers), New Mexico (9-2, 2-0 MW) has found ways to win in 2019-20 so far, including already having beaten the elusive in-state rival New Mexico State (6-5, – WAC) in the Pan Am Center in Las Cruces and a 2-0 start to conference play.

But the last contest against the Aggies was not without its challenges for New Mexico, which won the game by a narrow 78-77 margin. In a rivalry game that always seems to be close (let’s ignore the thrashing on Dec. 4, 2018), pulling out a road win (or any win) against New Mexico State is a welcome first time feat for Paul Weir as New Mexico’s head coach.

Once again, New Mexico State is expected to play without starters Clayton Henry and AJ Harris, placing on the shoulders of Trevelin Queen (14.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.6 steals per game) and Jabari Rice (13.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists per game) to score the ball on an Aggies team that hasn’t been known for its offensive prowess, ball movement, nor even its usual strength, rebounding.

In contrast, New Mexico has been better, statistically, in each of these areas, maintaining its ability to move the ball and score on offense with reasonable efficiency.

With most of the team returning from a 2018-19 season in which the Aggies challenged eventual final four participant Auburn, most expected New Mexico State to fare far better than slightly above .500 mid way through December, but the season has been far from the lofty expectations that some had placed on the team.

Not only are the struggles bad for the Aggies, but bad for New Mexico and, in a more indirect way, for the Mountain West Conference. With few opportunities over quadrant 1 and 2 wins, the two games against New Mexico State were anticipated to be one of such potential games for New Mexico. And while wins over the Aggies will help, losses will almost certainly hurt more than was thought in the preseason, especially if New Mexico has trouble at home.

With all the average to below average statistics offensively and with respect to rebounding, it would seem that the Aggies are lucky to be 6-5 against the 122nd ranked non-conference schedule (per KenPom.com).

So what’s kept the Aggies above .500?

Perhaps a solid defense (holding opponents to 64.0 points per game), and perhaps one of the slower tempos in the country (ranked 281st per KenPom).

But the defense or slow tempo were certainly not on display in the last meeting, which highlighted a more aggressive offensive tempo. Instead, it was the rebounding (especially offensive rebounding) battle that kept the Aggies in the game. Amassing 15 offensive rebounds helped, in part, to give New Mexico State 12 more possessions than New Mexico.

New Mexico State is still a capable squad, especially when Queen is on, and if the pieces are clicking, their deficiencies can quickly become strengths.

Another must-win for New Mexico’s post-season resume, the week-long break was much needed after playing 11 college basketball games through the first five weeks (among the most played by any Division I program this season). If the improving Lobos squad’s offense is firing behind the crafty JaQuan Lyle and the success rebounding the ball continues, the high-volume (both in attendance and literal volume) crowd at The Pit should be celebrating having the premier team in New Mexico once more before the schedule eases up.

Injuries/Roster Updates:

  • New Mexico: Vante Hendrix, a Utah transfer, is not immediately expected to be available on Saturday. Hendrix is supposedly a tireless on-ball defender, a trait New Mexico could certainly use more of.
  • New Mexico State: OUT: A.J Harris (finger); Clayton Henry (thumb)

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Future Hoops Foes: Week Five Recap of Week Six’s Opponents

Taking a Look At Week Six’s Mountain West Opponent’s Performances in Week Five Each Mountain West Teams Opponents for Week 6 Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire Take a look at each team’s opponents for this week and how they did last week. …

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Taking a Look At Week Six’s Mountain West Opponent’s Performances in Week Five

Each Mountain West Teams Opponents for Week 6

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

Take a look at each team’s opponents for this week and how they did last week.

Future Foes Week Five Recap:

Back to normal in the world of Future Hoops Foes going into the second week of December. 

Air Force Falcons (4-6, 1-1)

Sat, Dec. 14th

Denver Pioneers:

Rodney Billups‘ Pioneer squad is 4-6 on the year after a 19 point loss at UCLA this past Sunday. Not much was expected of this years Denver team as it was picked to finish last in the Summit League. They might surprise a few folks come conference play as they have wins against a Utah Valley team that went toe-to-toe with Kentucky in Rupp Arena this past month and Cal-St. Fullerton who was picked to finish fifth in a competitive Big West Conference this year.

Watch out for senior guard Ade Murkey, as the big guard out of Minneapolis is averaging a team high 12.8 PPG and has scored in double figures in four straight contests.

Boise State Broncos (5-3, 1-1)

Wed, Dec. 11th

Tulsa Golden Hurricanes:

The Golden Hurricanes are 7-2 and are receiving contributions from a little bit of everyone. Frank Haith’s squad was picked to finish tenth in the American this year and that may still be an accurate prediction, as Tulsa has yet to face a big ticket opponent aside from maybe Vanderbilt and the American will be scrappy come conference play. The true tests come in the month of December in road games at Arkansas and Kansas State, not to mention Boise State at home this week.

There are five players averaging eight points or better but the Hurricanes are led by Juco transfer Brandon Rachal averaging 15.9 PPG, which includes a 30 point performance in a win against Austin Peay.

Sat, Dec. 14th

Alabama State Hornets:

The Hornets are currently 1-6 on the season, and that lone win comes against Chicago State who just broke a 53-game losing streak on the road. Scoring is in short supply for an Alabama State team who is averaging 56.6 PPG as a team. But senior guard Tobi Ewuosho leading the team with 14.1 PPG and had a season high 23 points against a good Houston squad.

Colorado State Rams (6-5, 0-2)

Tues, Dec. 10th

South Dakota State Jackrabbits:

First year head coach Eric Henderson is 6-5 on the year but lacks a signature win going into Tuesday’s game in Fort Collins. A win against the Rams may be his best chance at giving his team momentum going into conference play as they are currently riding a two game losing streak. Look out for junior forward Doug Wilson as he is doing his best to replace the scoring prowess of David Jenkins Jr. and Mike Daum with a team high 16.5 PPG and 7.4 RPG.

Fri, Dec. 13th

Colorado Buffaloes:

Tad Boyle‘s squad is coming off of their first loss of the season on the road at Kansas, and need to knock down more shots after going just 18-60 from the field in Allen Field house on Saturday. The Buffaloes are led by Mckinley Wright IV and Tyler Bey who lead a deep team into Fort Collins looking for a second straight win against the Rams after a six point win at home last season. The Buffaloes are still a very dangerous team and should be looking to avoid creating a losing streak which would include their instate rival, but a win for the Rams at home would make for a great blemish on Colorado’s tournament resume.

Fresno State Bulldogs (2-6, 0-2)

Wed, Dec. 11th

California Golden Bears:

The Golden Bears are in a bit of a rebuilding year but have shown promise. Sophomore guard Matt Bradley is leading the charge with 17.0 PPG and has capable players around him, making CAL a be a bit better than their last place prediction in the PAC-12 may suggest. At least outside of the PAC-12 with an overtime win against UNLV under their belt. Mark Fox’s team is looking to break a two game losing streak heading to Fresno on Wednesday and if the Bulldogs aren’t careful, they could give CAL a 2-0 record against the Mountain West.

Sat, Dec. 14th

Cal Poly Mustangs:

The Mustangs are 2-7 on the season but are coming off of a four-point win over Siena on Saturday at home. It hasn’t been pretty for Cal Poly so far in the season and Saturday’s win was the first win over an NCAA division one opponent. But they will try and rally behind sophomore guard Junior Ballard (12.7 PPG) and former Boise State Bronco Malek Harwell (10.3 PPG) to get a win in Fresno this weekend.

Nevada Wolf Pack (7-3, 1-0)

Tues, Dec. 10th

Brigham Young Cougars:

All eyes should be on the Cougars this week as star forward Yoeli Childs is two games into his senior season and ready to make an impact for first year head coach Mark Pope. BYU has been a bit of a mixed bag, and their 7-4 record when further examined might tell you that. A last minute buzzer beater against the other Cougars in Houston followed by an overtime loss in Boise then a win against UCLA followed by a loss to at the time No. 4 Kansas, it’s been a lot.

Most recently they started a three game stretch playing the Mountain West and are 1-0 with a 33 point neutral site win over UNLV this past weekend. The Cougars now have four players averaging double digits and have become the BYU team we all were anxious to see back in August. The Wolf Pack have an opportunity for a solid win on Tuesday and you can bet we will be watching.

New Mexico Lobos (9-2, 2-0)

Sat, Dec. 14th

New Mexico State Aggies:

Part Two of the Rio Grande Rivalry will take place in Albuquerque this weekend, and I think the story line has to be Paul Weir looking for just his second win ever against the Lobo’s in-state rivals. The Aggies have been given a slight bug from the injury bug himself and have been without senior leader A.J. Harris and wing Clayton Henry thus far. They combined for about fourteen points a game last season but brought a defensive presence and play making abilities that may be lacking on an Aggie team that is 5-5 on the season. Even though the time tables are close I don’t expect to see Harris or Clayton suit in Albuquerque on Saturday as of right now.

New Mexico State avenged an earlier season loss to UTEP this past week and could go .500 in rivalry games with a win on Saturday. Look out for senior wing Trevelin Queen who had a season high 23 Points against the Lobos in their first meeting this season. And don’t forget sophomore guard Jabari Rice who is having a great season doubling his playing time while quadrupling his scoring output.

No. 25 San Diego State Aztecs (10-0, 2-0)

None

San Jose State Spartans (3-7, 0-2)

Sat, Dec. 14th

Stanford Cardinals:

The Cardinals are 8-1 on the season with their only loss coming by 1 point against an undefeated top-25 ranked Butler squad. Stanford is led by German forward Oscar Da Silva who leads the team with 16.6 PPG and is coming off of his best game of the season against UNC-Wilmington. Backing him up is freshman guard Tyrell Terry with 15.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.2 APG and 2.1 SPG. He can do a bit of everything and compliments Da Silva and a rotation filled with youth and experience.

Nevada-Las Vegas Running Rebels (4-7, 1-0)

None

Utah State Aggies (9-1, 2-0)

Tues, Dec. 10th

St. Katherine Firebirds:

St. Katherine is an NAIA team out of San Marcos, CA and are currently 3-8 on the year so far. The Firebirds are led by junior guard Zethan Dumpson who is averaging 13.3 PPG and had a season high 20 points against NAIA No. 10 ranked Arizona Christian in early November. The Aggies are undefeated against NAIA opponents and should stay that way heading in the weekend against in-state rival BYU.

Sat, Dec. 14th

Brigham Young Cougars:

All eyes should be on the Cougars this week as star forward Yoeli Childs is two games into his senior season and ready to make an impact for first year head coach Mark Pope. BYU has been a bit of a mixed bag, and their 7-4 record when further examined might tell you that. A last minute buzzer beater against the other Cougars in Houston followed by an overtime loss in Boise then a win against UCLA followed by a loss to at the time No. 4 Kansas, it’s been a lot.

Most recently they started a three game stretch playing the Mountain West and are 1-0 with a 33 point neutral site win over UNLV this past weekend. The Cougars now have four players averaging double digits and have become the BYU team we all were anxious to see back in August. The Wolf Pack have an opportunity for a solid win on Tuesday and you can bet we will be watching.

Wyoming Cowboys (3-7, 0-2)

Sat, Dec. 14th

Northern Colorado Bears:

The Bears are 4-4 but are more dangerous than their record reflects. Northern Colorado was picked to finish in the top five of their conference in both the media and coaches preseason polls. This even after losing guard Jordan Davis who averaged 23.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 4.7 APG last season. They have some weapons, and it starts with sophomore guard Bodie Hume who is averaging 16.6 PPG and 4.3 RPG. Hume has help though, and senior guard Jonah Radebaugh is a go to player for the Bears. Radebaugh is a 6’3 guard but is second on the team in rebounding at 7.0 RPG and leads the team in assists with 4.4 a game.

Side Note:

Make sure to revisit our Head of the Class article to check up on the best players around the conference ranked based on class.

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New Mexico State vs. New Mexico: Game Preview, TV, Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

The New Mexico State Aggies host the New Mexico Lobos at the Pan Am Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

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New Mexico State vs. New Mexico: Game Preview, TV, Radio Schedule, Livestream, Odds, More

Lobos play Aggies in second of consecutive road rivalry games

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

The Aggies’ roster is beat up early, but still capable.

WHO: New Mexico Lobos (4-1) vs. New Mexico State Aggies (2-2)

WHEN: Thursday, November 21 — 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT

WHERE: Pan Am Center – Las Cruces, NM (12,482)

TV: AggieVision (Click here for a list of TV providers per AggieVision)

STREAM: Fox Sports GO

RADIO: TuneIn

SERIES RECORD: New Mexico leads, 74-64

ODDS: New Mexico State -4

PREVIEW: After a tough 66-63 loss against UTEP in the Don Haskins Center – one where JaQuan Lyle sunk a barely-too-late half court heave that would have forced overtime – New Mexico  (4-1) looks to get back on track against another rival, New Mexico State (2-2).

Trying to split the first two in what might be the toughest four-game stretch in their non-conference schedule will be tough, especially considering the Aggies’ success in the last several years at the Pan Am Center, the Lobos will need to bring their offensive game back to go along with solid defense that showed in their last outing. New Mexico State has been virtually unbeatable at home for the last decade, and should be a tough out even with some capable players out of commission.

Injuries continue to plague the New Mexico State roster, which suffered an 83-53 defeat at Arizona on Sunday. Missing were guards A.J Harris and Clayton Henry as well as forward Wilfried Likayi.

But the woes for the Aggies extend beyond strictly those players that are out of action. Leading scorer from the 2018-2019 team that took final four team Auburn down to the wire in the NCAA Tournament, Terrell Brown, and sophomore Jabari Rice have been playing through injuries as well. That’s more than a third of New Mexico State’s scholarship players with an injury in November, four of which accounted for 38% of scoring on last year’s team.

Ouch.

Harris is expected to be out through mid-December and Henry through mid-January. It’s unclear how long Likayi will be out, but seems unlikely for the contest against the Lobos as the injury is reportedly a torn meniscus. Hopefully, for the Aggies, injuries will improve quickly, as this should be a fun team to monitor throughout the season, despite the early season hiccups.

Through the injuries, Trevelin Queen (16.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals per game) has emerged as a leader for the Aggies in scoring, rebounding and steals and is also second in assists on the team.

Queen has been a critical player for a team that hasn’t been known for its offense, and instead has largely relied on its consistent defense to win games in the last several years. This year is a little different so far.

The Aggies are tied for 266th and 299th in points and assists per game respectively in Division I hoops and holding opponents to a respectable-but-not-elite 64.3 points per game (123rd). Of concern, this year is a drop off, thus far, in rebounding.

The Aggies finished the ’18-19 season tied 35th nationally in rebound at 38.5 rebounds per game. This season, they are averaging three rebounds less per game, putting them at just 253rd nationally. That’s not to say this team can’t get hot or can’t rebound. They just haven’t yet this season.

In contrast, New Mexico has had a high-powered offense within the Division I ranks, scoring 87.0 points per game (19th) and assisting 18.2 times per game (28th nationally) and rebounding is one of those respectable-but-not-elite categories for the Lobos thus far, pulling in 38.6 rebounds per game (157th). And exactly opposite the Aggies, the Lobos area of concern is, on average, defense, giving up 73.0 points per contest (257th).

JaQuan Lyle (19.0 points, 5.8 assists, 52. rebounds per game) continues to be a key piece of the puzzle for New Mexico, leading the Lobos in points and assists per game and Corey Manigault (13.6 points, 4.0 rebounds per game, 65.7% field goal percentage) and Makuach Maluach (12.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals per game, 68.8% field goal percentage) are among the most efficient players offensively in the conference. JJ Caldwell has also been solid at the point guard position and is averaging 5.0 assists and 2.8 steals per game.

You might say that in each of their previous contests, each team did something that was rather uncharacteristic of their team’s identity.

New Mexico State struggled to keep Arizona in check defensively in giving up 83 points. New Mexico defended relatively well, holding UTEP to just 66 points, but couldn’t manage to find their stride offensively, missing a lot of layups and free throws.

Said Lobos coach Paul Weir, “I thought [UTEP’s] defense was really good. We obviously left some points I thought around the rim. Some layups, and left some points at the free throw line as well on our end. I don’t want to take away from UTEP’s defense. They were very physical, played us really well – especially to start the game.”

I still think the defensive presence will be more critical for New Mexico to win games against good teams. Even with all the missed short ones and free throws, they were in the game against UTEP, and even took the lead with less than a minute to go. 

Mountain West Teams Ranked or Receiving votes:

New Mexico was among three Mountain West conference teams to receive votes in Monday’s AP poll. Utah State was ranked 15th in the poll, while San Diego State and New Mexico both received 2 points in the poll.

Injuries/Roster Updates:

  • New Mexico: Carlton Bragg (11.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 1.0 steals per game), New Mexico’s leading rebounder, is questionable for Thursday’s game after he went down on the court on Tuesday against UTEP and suffered what appeared to be a knee injury.
  • New Mexico State: A.J Harris (finger); Clayton Henry (thumb); Wilfried Likayi (knee)

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