UNM Game Notes | CSU Game Notes | Live Stats | Live Audio
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team will look to snap its three-game skid as it travels to Colorado State Saturday. Tip-off is set for noon and will broadcast on ROOT Sports (Comcast 261/815, Dish 414, DirecTV 683).
The Lobos are 9-8 on the season and 2-3 in the Mountain West. They have lost their last three games to Utah State, Nevada and most recently, UNLV. The Lobos fell to the Runnin’ Rebels inside WisePies Arena – The Pit on Tuesday night, 71-66. Dane Kuiper had a career night, scoring a team-high 17 points.
The Lobos led 37-31 at halftime, but a 22-9 run in the first eight minutes of the second half brought UNLV back in the game. The Runnin’ Rebels finished the game on a 10-2 run to claim the win.
On the season, the Lobos are shooting 47 percent from the field which is third in the league. They are shooting 31 percent from the three and lead the league at the free-throw line at 75.3 percent.
Tim Williams and Elijah Brown continue to be one of the top duos in the Mountain West. Williams is second in the league in points per game at 18.5. Brown is averaging 17.1 ppg. Williams is ranked 22nd in the nation and leads the league with a 59.7 field goal percentage. Brown leads the league in free throw makes and attempts. He is also 15th in the nation with his 122 attempts and 11th in the country with his 98 makes at the line.
The Lobos will be in for a tough road test at Colorado State on Saturday. The Rams are the top offensive rebounding team in the league. They are averaging 11.8 offensive rebounds per game. The Rams are led by Gian Clavell. He is averaging 16.5 ppg on the season and 21.5 ppg in conference.
Emmanuel Omogbo and Prentiss Nixon are also averaging double digits. Omogbo leads the league in rebounding at 10.8 per game and is averaging 3.0 offensive rebounds per game.
The Rams are shooting 43.2 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from the three and 74.3 percent from the foul line. They average 73.5 points per game and hold their opponents to 67.1 points per game.
ABOUT THE COACHES
Craig Neal is in his fourth season as head coach of the Lobos. He owns a 68-46 record at UNM. CSU is led by Larry Eustachy, who is 98-54 at CSU and 500-312 in his career.
ABOUT THE SERIES
The Lobos and Rams will meet for the 120th time in program history on Saturday. This is the seventh longest rivalry in New Mexico history and second longest against a Mountain West opponent.
The Lobos hold a record of 74-45 overall against Colorado State in a series that dates back to Dec. 20, 1940. The bulk of the series began in 1952, when the two institutions were in the Skyline Conference together until 1962. After a short break in the series, the two teams would compete against each other in the WAC and Mountain West.
The Lobos have dominated the Rams inside WisePies Arena with a record of 44-5. But on the road against the Rams, the Lobos are 23-32. Colorado State had the upper hand on New Mexico when playing in the Skyline Conference. However, the Lobos have won 35 of the last 42 games in the series, dating back to Feb. 12, 1994.
Last season, the Lobos played Colorado State once due to the Mountain West schedule. The Lobos traveled up to Fort Collins on Feb. 23, 2016 but fell 86-69.
ABOUT THE BROADCAST
Saturday’s game will be broadcast on ROOT Sports (Comcast 261/815, Dish 414, DirecTV 683). Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. MT. The game will also be available on the radio on New Mexico’s flagship station 770 KKOB with the broadcast brought to you by Robert Portnoy and Lobo great Hunter Greene. The TuneIn radio app will also be available.