NEW MEXICO GAME NOTES | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The (-/RV) University of New Mexico men’s basketball team (3-0) will take its three-game winning streak to Los Angeles Saturday to face the Southern California Trojans (2-0) at 8:30 p.m. MT.
The Lobos enter Saturday’s PAC-12 game after going unscathed in their first three games, most recently defeating Loyola-Chicago on Wednesday, 75-51. In their new silver jerseys, the Lobos stifled the Ramblers on defense and consistently worked in the paint, scoring 42 of 75 points down low. Tim Williams led the way with his biggest game of the year, scoring 22 points on 10-for-14 shooting.
The strong display pushed the Lobos’ shooting percentage to 54.7 percent through three games, which ranked 13th in the nation through games played Nov. 18. Of the 16 Lobos who have seen time this year, 10 are shooting 50 percent or better.
USC is off to a strong start at 2-0 during the early season. The Trojans have defeated San Diego to open the season, 83-45, and Monmouth, 101-90. Both games were played at home in the Galen Center. Prior to the season, USC was picked 10th in the PAC-12 preseason poll.
The Coaches:
Craig Neal is in his third year as head coach of the Lobos and in his ninth year with the university. He holds a 45-23 record overall with a .662 winning percentage. Wednesday’s win gave Coach Neal his second 3-0 start in three seasons. USC is led by Andy Enfield in his third year at the helm. He took over the USC program in April of 2013 after two seasons at Florida Gulf Coast.
Series History:
New Mexico and USC will meet for the fourth time in five seasons on Saturday, and the second time in the Craig Neal and Andy Enfield eras. UNM is 2-1 against the Trojans since 2011. The overall series is tied at 6-6.
The Lobos will be looking to exact revenge on the Trojans. Last year, USC won inside WisePies Arena, 66-54, to become one of three programs to win a nonconference game at UNM since 2011.
Broadcast Information:
Saturday’s game will be televised live on the PAC-12 Network. You can find the network on channel 284 on Comcast and 409 on DISH. JB Long will call the game with analyst Don MacLean.
For fans tuning in on the radio, Jeff Siembieda 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.