NEW MEXICO GAME NOTES | FRESNO STATE GAME NOTES | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team (8-6, 1-0 MW) will play its first road Mountain West Conference game of the season Saturday, facing the Fresno State Bulldogs (10-4, 1-0 MW) at 7:30 p.m. MT on CBS Sports Network.
The Lobos enter the game fresh off their conference-opening victory over Nevada at home Friday, 88-76. The Lobos, who are now 7-1 at home, earned the victory on the merits of a total team effort. Five Lobos scored in double figures for the first time since January of 2014, with Xavier Adams and Obij Aget scoring career-highs of 14 and 12 points, respectively.
The win was a return to form for the Lobos, who started the year 7-2 on the merits of strong perimeter defense and a wide rebounding margin. New Mexico’s lockdown 3-point defense returned and held Nevada to 26.7 percent (4-for-15) shooting from outside. The Lobos won the rebounding battle, 37-30, with 14 offensive rebounds, the most since bringing down 23 against USC.
Fresno State will be a tough challenge on the road for the Lobos after starting 10-4. They also won their first league game, winning at UNLV Wednesday, 69-66. The Bulldogs are set for a big year in the MW and are one of two teams in the league ranked in the top 100 in both RPI and the KenPom rankings.
The Coaches:
Craig Neal is fresh off his 50th victory as head coach of the Lobos. His overall winning percentage of .633 puts him in an elite class historically at New Mexico. Only five coaches in the program’s history have at least 50 wins and a winning percentage above .600. The others include Bob King, Norm Ellenberger, Dave Bliss and Steve Alford, whom Neal worked alongside as an associate head coach. Fresno State is led by Rodney Terry, in his fifth year as the leader of the Lobos. Terry, who previously assisted for nine years at Texas, is looking to get the Bulldogs off to their best start since 2006.
Series History:
The Lobos and Bulldogs will face off for the 22nd time in program history Saturday and the 11th time at Fresno State. The Lobos are 13-8 in history against the Bulldogs, which has largely taken place from 1993-present, but dates all the way back to back-to-back games played in December of 1947. Last season, the Lobos split the season series against Fresno State, with each team winning at home. The Lobos defeated the Bulldogs, 76-64, inside WisePies Arena on Dec. 31 last season to extend their winning streak against Fresno State to six games. That winning streak was snapped by the Bulldogs on Feb. 28 in Fresno, 59-55. The home team has largely dominated during this series. Fresno State is 8-2 against the Lobos at home, while New Mexico is an undefeated 9-0 against the Bulldogs at home.
Broadcast Information:
The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network. The broadcast will begin at 7:30 p.m. MT. Fans can find CBSSN on Comcast channels 274/838 (HD), DISH channel 158 and DirecTV channel 221.
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.