COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mountain West and Missouri Valley Conferences have announced next season’s pairings for the MW/MVC Challenge Series, and the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team will play at Illinois State on Dec. 3, 2016.
This year, the MW won the series, 6-4, with the final games being played this past Sunday. That included the Lobos’ home win over Loyola-Chicago, 75-51. The MW has an all-time series edge of 3-1-1 in five previous Challenge seasons, including an overall advantage of 28 17 in games played in association with the series.
This will be the first matchup between the Lobos and Illinois State. The Challenge Series features head-to-head competition between 10 Mountain West and 10 Missouri Valley teams annually, with each conference hosting five games apiece each season. Annual matchups for teams in the Challenge Series will be based upon factors including the previous year’s achievements, records and RPI rankings, as well as projected rankings/strength of teams in the upcoming season, based on composite sources.
About the Mountain West:
From its inception in 1999, the Mountain West has been committed to excellence in intercollegiate athletics, while promoting the academic missions of its member institutions. Progressive in its approach, the Mountain West continues to cultivate opportunities for student-athletes to compete at the highest level, while fostering academic achievement and sportsmanship. Now in its 16th year, the MW has been assertive in its involvement with the NCAA governance structure and has taken a leadership role in the overall administration of intercollegiate athletics. The Mountain West membership is comprised of 11 all-sport members: The United States Air Force Academy, Boise State University, Colorado State University, Fresno State, University of Nevada, University of New Mexico, San Diego State University, San José State University, UNLV, Utah State University and University of Wyoming. In addition, the University of Hawai’i and Colorado College participate in the Mountain West as single-sport members in football and women’s soccer, respectively.
About the Missouri Valley Conference:
The Missouri Valley Conference, the nation’s second-oldest NCAA Division I conference, continues to be the leader in college athletics and is one of the nation’s most progressive conferences, celebrating its 109th season in 2015-16. League members have worked together to focus on common goals and objectives, placing a high value on league harmony, while continuing to invest in athletic programs to compete at the highest level. League members for basketball include Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State, Indiana State, Loyola Chicago, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois and Wichita State.
Lobos Draw Illinois State in 2016 MW/MVC Challenge
