UNM Game Notes | NEV Game Notes | Live Stats | Live Audio
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – First place is on the line for the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team (13-8, 6-3 MW), as it travels to Nevada (17-4, 6-2 MW) on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. PT/2 p.m. MT and will air on CBS Sports Network (Comcast 278/838 HD, DISH 158, DirecTV 221).
The Lobos will look to get back at Nevada as the Wolf Pack came into WisePies Arena on Jan. 7 and claimed a 105-104 win in overtime. The Lobos had the lead late down the stretch but Nevada came back to win, getting a big performance from Jordan Caroline.
New Mexico has been playing better basketball late in games. The Lobos are currently on a four-game win streak and will look to continue that against Nevada Saturday. Free throws have been a huge key to the Lobos’ streak. They have made 27-31 in the final minute of the last three games.
On the season, they are shooting 75.8 percent from the foul line which leads the Mountain West and is 27th in the nation. From the field in league play, the Lobos lead the conference with a 48.5 shooting percentage.
The top two duos in the conference will be going up against each other on Saturday. Elijah Brown and Tim Williams will look to continue to lead the Lobos as they average 39.3 points per game in conference games. Marcus Marshall and D.J. Fenner average 41.4 points per game in league play.
Nevada is coming off a 76-57 win over Boise State Wednesday. The Wolf Pack is led by Marshall, who leads the conference in scoring at 21.5 points per game. Three other players average double-digit numbers; Cameron Oliver (14.4 ppg), D.J. Fenner (14.0 ppg), Caroline (13.9 ppg). Fenner leads the team in shooting percentage at 49.2 percent and three-point field goal percentage at 48.8 percent.
As a team, Nevada is first in the league in scoring at 79.7 ppg. The Wolf Pack is also second in three-point shooting percentage at 38.6 percent. They are 10th in the country in 3-point defense, holding their opponents to 29.3 percent from the three.
ABOUT THE COACHES
Craig Neal is in his fourth season as head coach of the Lobos. He is 72-46 in his career and is the first coach in MW history to win on the road at SDSU, CSU and Boise State in the same season. Eric Musselman is in his second season with Nevada. He owns a 41-18 career record.
ABOUT THE SERIES
This will be the 10th meeting between the two teams, as the series started on Feb. 2, 2013. The Lobos are 6-3 against Nevada all-time. Last season, the Lobos went 2-1, falling to them in the Mountain West tournament. On the road, the Lobos are 3-1. The only loss in Reno came on Feb. 14, 2015 by a score of 66-63. In the last three meetings, the game has been decided by five or fewer points.
ABOUT THE BROADCAST
Saturday’s game will broadcast on CBS Sports Network (Comcast 278/838 HD, DISH 158, DirecTV 221). Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. PT/2 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.