Lobos Looking to Carry Momentum into MW Tournament
No. 7 Seed New Mexico vs No. 10 Seed San José State
Wednesday, March 4, 2020 – 2:30 p.m. PT / 3:30 p.m. MT
Thomas & Mack Center (Capacity: 19,522)
TV: Mountain West Network (Watch Live)
Radio: 770 KKOB-AM (Listen Live)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Following a home victory on Saturday over No. 2 seed Utah State, The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team is set to enter the 2020 Mountain West Tournament as the No. 7 seed to take on the No. 10 seed San José State Spartans on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. PT / 3:30 p.m. MT. Fans will be able to watch the first round live on the Mountain West Network.
The Lobos (18-13, 7-11 MW) snapped a five-loss streak on Saturday with the victory over the Aggies and will look to carry the momentum into the first round of the tournament. UNM is 1-3 in first-round competition in Mountain West Tournament history (2-3 overall) with its first victory in the opening round coming last season against Wyoming.
UNM split with the Spartans (7-23, 3-15 MW) this season after falling by a narrow three points on the road in San Jose, 88-85, on New Year’s Day. The Lobos put up a 27-point victory over SJSU at home however, when the Lobos hosted the squad inside Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit just 20 days later.
New Mexico enters Wednesday’s matchup second among league squads scoring 76.8 points per game while SJSU averages 70.0. The Lobos allow the second-most points in the league at 75.5, however SJSU allows the most at 81.5.
The Lobos are led by four active players averaging scoring in double figures in conference play including redshirt-senior JaQuan Lyle (14.0), who registered his 1,000th career point against the Spartans on the road this season, along with redshirt-junior Vance Jackson (13.4), senior Corey Manigault (13.3) and redshirt-junior Zane Martin (10.9). Jackson is also UNM’s leading active rebounder in MW play with 5.7 per game.
The Spartans bring All-Mountain West Third Team honoree Seneca Knight into Wednesday’s contest. Knight leads San José State with 20.1 points per game in conference play to go along with a team-high 6.3 rebounds. The Lobos held Knight to just 11 points in the teams’ last meeting in The Pit. Spartan junior Richard Washington ranks second on the squad at 11.9 points per conference contest.
The winner of Wednesday’s contest will take on No. 2 seed Utah State on Thursday 6 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. MT on CBS Sports Network.
LOBOS IN THE NATION
Below is a look at how the Lobos rank in some of the national stats:
18th – total steals (249)
18th – free throws made (485)
19th – free throw attempts (677)
23rd – total assists (466)
31st – field-goal percentage (47.0)
34th – assists per game (15.0)
35th – steals per game (8.0)
38th – scoring offense (76.8)
SERIES HISTORY
The Lobos hold a 14-3 advantage over the Spartans in program history but have met just once in conference play, on March 5, 1997 when the teams were part of the WAC. The Lobos earned a 103-70 win in that contest, the third of 11 straight New Mexico victories in the series.
UNM is 8-1 at home, 5-2 on the road and 1-0 in neutral contests against the Spartans.
THE COACHES
Head coach Paul Weir is 51-46 in his third year at the helm of the Lobos, 79-52 in his fourth season as a head coach. San José State head coach Jean Prioleau is 15-76 in his third season at the helm of the Spartans, the same in his career.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Wednesday’s game will be available to watch live on the Mountain West Network (Watch Live). Fans can also follow live via live stats (link coming soon) or listen in on the radio LIVE. Robert Portnoy and former Lobo Hunter Greene will be on the call on 770 KKOB-AM.