NEW MEXICO GAME NOTES | AIR FORCE GAME NOTES | MOUNTAIN WEST RELEASE | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team (11-8, 4-2 MW) is set to face the Air Force Falcons (10-10, 1-6 MW) Wednesday in WisePies Arena at 7 p.m.
The Lobos enter the matchup following a road victory over San Jose State Saturday, 83-64. The Lobos were led by a career-best 33 points from sophomore Elijah Brown and a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds from junior Tim Williams. It was the program’s best victory on the road at San Jose State.
That win put the Lobos at 4-2 and third overall in the Mountain West Conference. A win on Wednesday would give the team their fifth straight record of 5-2 or better to start MW play. Currently, they are just one of three teams with a league winning percentage above .600. The two teams ahead of the Lobos, San Diego State and Boise State, will face New Mexico in the next two weeks.
Air Force will enter Wednesday’s game looking to end a streak of six straight losses, with their last win coming in the MW opener against San Jose State. Prior to their recent skid, Air Force started their season 10-4 and picked up nonconference wins over New Mexico State and Tennessee Tech. They also nearly upset Southern Illinois on the road to start the year, falling, 77-75.
The Coaches:
Craig Neal is in the midst of his third season with the New Mexico men’s basketball team. During that time, he’s led three straight teams to records of 4-2 or better to start conference play. On the opposite bench, Dave Pilipovich is in his fifth season as the leader of the Falcons. He has served on the Air Force staff since the 2007-08 season.
The Series:
The Lobos hold a record of 56-21 overall against Air Force in a series that dates back to Dec. 7, 1957. Eight games were played from 1957-71, with the rest coming from 1981-present. The Falcons have not won a game inside WisePies Arena since Feb. 10, 2007, which was in the final season before the Neal/Alford era. The Lobos have eight straight wins at home against Air Force.
Broadcast Information:
The game will be televised on ROOTS SPORTS. The broadcast will begin at 7 p.m. MST and air exclusively on ROOT SPORTS in most areas of New Mexico, as well as Colorado, Eastern Wyoming, and portions of South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. The game may also be available in additional markets, so please check your local listings.
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.