NEW MEXICO GAME NOTES | FRESNO STATE GAME NOTES | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team (16-12, 9-6 MW) will have a chance to recapture second place in the Mountain West Conference Saturday against the Fresno State Bulldogs (19-9, 10-5 MW) at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Lobos enter the game in third place in the league with only three games to go. The MW race for high seeding is coming down to the wire, with four teams currently within a game of each other for the second seed in the league tournament. A win against the Bulldogs would put the two teams in a tie for second place, and secure the head-to-head tiebreaker if needed.
The Lobos are in position to secure the tiebreaker due to the team’s previous win at Fresno State on Jan. 2. The victory was one of the best of the season for the Lobos, who never trailed on the road and led by as much as 19 points before halftime. Cullen Neal had his best performance in league play, with 26 points. Defensively, the Lobos held the opposition to 5.6 percent shooting (1-for-18) from distance.
Fresno State is currently on a three-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the MW. After falling on the road against San Jose State on Feb. 3, the Bulldogs have won five of their last six games. Their lone loss came at Nevada in overtime. They are the only team in the league to hand San Diego State a conference loss, defeating the Aztecs at home, 58-57.
The Coaches:
Head coach Craig Neal is approaching the 60th win as the leader of the New Mexico men’s basketball program. He holds a record of 58-35 and a career winning percentage of .623. This season, he has led the Lobos to a 12-2 home record. The Bulldogs are led by fifth year coach Rodney Terry. Terry has earned 79 wins in his time with Fresno State.
The Series:
The Lobos and Bulldogs will face off for the 23rd time in program history Saturday and the 10th time inside WisePies Arena. The Lobos are 14-8 in history against the Bulldogs, in a series that has largely taken place from 1993-present, but dates all the way back to back-to-back games played in December of 1947. The Lobos have won seven of the last eight games in the series.
Broadcast Information:
The game will be televised on ESPN2. The broadcast will begin at 8 p.m. MST. Fans can find ESPN2 on Comcast channels 8/253 (HD), DISH channel 144 and DirecTV channel 209.
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.