UNM Game Notes | VT Game Notes | Live Stats | Live Audio | Tournament Bracket
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team (3-0) is set to begin the 2016 Wooden Legacy Classic in Anaheim, California, from Nov. 24-27.
The tournament begins Thursday when the Lobos take on the Virginia Tech Hokies, who are receiving votes in the AP Poll, at 2:30 p.m. MT. The winner/loser of that game will face off against the winner/loser between Texas A&M and Cal State Northridge on Friday. The Lobos will end the tournament on Sunday against the other side of the bracket, featuring No. 14 UCLA, University of Portland, (RV) Dayton and Nebraska.
The Lobos are coming off a big 72-59 win against in-state rival New Mexico State on Friday. Tim Williams led the Lobos for the second straight game with 20 points. Elijah Brown finished with 19 points while Sam Logwood finished with 12.
Williams’ performance last week earned his first career Mountain West Player of the Week honor. He finished the week averaging 25.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. The highlight of the week came against Houston Baptist as he scored a career-high 31 points and finished with 11 rebounds for his second straight double-double.
Virginia Tech is also 3-0 on the season. They’re coming off an 88-72 win over VMI last Saturday. The Hokies have four players averaging double digits, including Zach LeDay. He is leading the Hokies with 18.3 points per game.
Series History:
This meeting will be just the second meeting in program history between the Lobos and Hokies. The last time they met was on March 18, 1973, in the NIT. Virginia Tech defeated the Lobos, 65-63.
The Lobos are 6-16 against ACC teams. The last time they beat an ACC team was on Nov. 27, 2011, downing Boston College 75-57 in the 76 Classic tournament. The last time they faced an ACC opponent was Nov. 20, 2014.
About the Coaches:
Head coach Craig Neal is 3-0 on the season and owns a 62-38 career record. He is just the third coach in program history to win the first three games of the season by double-digits. The Lobos haven’t started the season 4-0 since the 2012-13 season.
Virginia Tech is coached by Buzz Williams, who owns a 34-37 record with the Hokies and a 188-123 overall career record. Neal and Williams have faced each other one other time while Williams was at Marquette.
Broadcast Information:
All games over the Thanksgiving weekend will be televised on the ESPN family of networks. New Mexico’s game with Virginia Tech will be the only game on ESPN. All the other games will be televised on ESPN2 or ESPNU. Check back on GoLobos.com for updates on when and what broadcast the Lobos will be playing.
For fans tuning in on the radio, Robert Portnoy will give the play-by-play action alongside analyst and Lobo great Hunter Greene on 770 KKOB, the flagship station of the New Mexico Lobos, for the entire tournament. This feed will also be available via the TuneIn Radio App.