NEW MEXICO GAME NOTES | UTAH STATE GAME NOTES | MOUNTAIN WEST RELEASE | LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team (14-9, 7-3 MW) is set for a rematch with the Utah State Aggies (11-11, 3-8 MW) Tuesday in Logan, Utah at 8 p.m. MST on CBS Sports Network.
After recently snapping a four-game winning streak, the Lobos look to start another run and finish their last eight games strong. The Lobos are coming off a brutal 3-game stretch, but came out with a road win over Boise State, a home victory against UNLV and an overtime road loss at San Diego State. The solid stretch has elevated the Lobos to second-place in the Mountain West Conference and solidified them as a contender for a league championship.
Although the last three games have been tough, Tuesday’s test gets no easier. Utah State is a notoriously tough place to play for road teams, as the Lobos have only two wins in Logan in 12 games. New Mexico will be attempting to become the first MW team to defeat Utah State three times in Logan since they joined the conference prior to the 2013-14 season.
This will be the second matchup this season between the two squads. The Lobos and Aggies met on Jan. 9 in WisePies Arena in a 77-59 New Mexico victory. The Lobos held them scoreless for an eight minute stretch of the first half and led, 43-18, at halftime. The Lobos finished the game at an even 50 percent shooting (29-for-58) while being led by a 21-point effort from Tim Williams.
The Coaches:
Craig Neal enters Tuesday’s game as the only coach in New Mexico history to win in Logan, Utah. He’s 2-0 there, with four past coaches coming up short, three on multiple occasions. 2-0 at Utah State, Neal holds a career winning percentage of .636 in three seasons as head coach at New Mexico. Tim Duryea is in his first year as head coach at Utah State, having previously served on the Aggie staff for 14 seasons. As an assistant, he helped guide Utah State to six NCAA Tournament appearances.
The Series:
The Lobos and Aggies will be meeting for the 29th time in program history Tuesday and the 13th time in Logan, Utah. All-time, the Lobos are 8-20 against Utah State in a series that dates back to Feb. 2, 1952. All but six of the games were played between 1952-1962. After a near-18 year break, the Aggies defeated New Mexico inside WisePies Arena, 117-83, in 1979. They did not play again until Utah State joined the Mountain West two seasons ago. The Lobos are 4-1 over that time.
Broadcast Information:
The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network. The broadcast will begin at 8 p.m. MST. 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.