UNM Game Notes | Live Stats | Live Audio
TUCSON, Ariz. – The University of New Mexico Lobo men’s basketball team finishes up its non-conference portion of the schedule Tuesday as the Lobos travel to No. 18 Arizona. The game is set for 7 p.m. and will be available on the Pac-12 Network (Comcast 284, DISH 413).
The Lobos finished non-conference action at home Saturday with a 40-point victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. With the win, the Lobos improved to 7-4 on the season and 6-0 at home in non-conference games, which is the first time the Lobos have gone undefeated at home in non-conference action since the 2010-11 season.
In the victory over UAPB, Tim Williams led the Lobos with 19 points in 20 minutes of action. He was 7-for-10 from the field and perfect from the foul line (5-of-5). Dane Kuiper, who made his second start in his career on Saturday, put together his second straight game in double digits. He scored 14 points, shooting 3-for-6 from the three.
On the season, the Lobos are shooting 49.1 percent from the field which is ranked first in the Mountain West and 28th in the nation. They are averaging 77.5 points per game and 34.1 rebounds per game. They also rank first in the nation in KenPom’s Free Throw Rate at 55.7.
The No. 18 Arizona Wildcats are 10-2 on the season. They are coming off a close victory at Texas A&M last Saturday, claiming a 67-63 win over the Aggies. Their only two losses came to Butler on Nov. 25 and Gonzaga on Dec. 3.
The Wildcats are shooting 46.6 percent from the field, 37.2 percent from 3-point range and 75.1 percent from the foul line. They have four players scoring in double digits. Lauri Markkanen is leading the squad with 16.3 points per game. He is shooting 49.2 percent from the field and and leads their team from the three with a 46.3 shooting percentage. He also leads the team in rebounds at 7.2 per game.
Rawle Alkins and Kobi Simmons are second in scoring on the team at 12.3 ppg. Alkins is shooting 45.5 percent from the field while Simmons is shooting 43 percent.
ABOUT THE COACHES
Craig Neal is in his fourth season as head coach of the Lobos. He owns a 66-42 record in his career. This will be second time this season that Coach Neal has faced a Miller brother. He faced Dayton’s Archie Miller on Nov. 27, which is Arizona’s head coach Sean Miller’s brother. Sean Miller is in his eighth season with the Wildcats and owns a 198-63 record at Arizona. He is 318-110 in his career.
ABOUT THE SERIES
New Mexico and Arizona will face off for the 126th time in program history. Arizona is UNM’s sixth oldest rival. The Lobos are 42-83 against the Wildcats. The last time the Lobos defeated a ranked opponent was in the 2014-15 season when they beat No. 24 Colorado State on Jan. 1, 2015.
On the road against the Wildcats, the Lobos are 11-48. The series began a century ago in the 1916-17 season. The last time the Lobos faced the Wildcats was on Dec. 21, 1999. The Lobos claimed a two-point victory, 70-68, over the No. 2 ranked Wildcats. Against Pac-12 teams, the Lobos are 171-233.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
The game will be available on the Pac-12 Network (Comcast 284, DISH 413). 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. This feed will also be available via the TuneIn Radio App.