Lobos Open Mountain West Tournament Wednesday vs. Air Force

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M – The New Mexico men’s basketball team will begin play at the 2024 Mountain West Tournament on Wednesday with a first round matchup against Air Force. The sixth-seeded Lobos and 11th-seeded Falcons will tip-off at 4:00 pm PT (5:00 pm MT) at the Thomas & Mack Center, with the game airing on the Mountain West Network and the Lobo Radio Network.

The Lobos are 22-9 this season, 10-8 in the Mountain West, and are the No. 6 seed in the Mountain West Tournament for the second straight year. New Mexico had three players recognized as All-Mountain West, Donovan Dent and JT Toppin on the second team and Jaelen House on the third team. Toppin was named the conference’s Co-Freshman of the Year and Mustapha Amzil was the conference’s Co-Sixth Man of the Year.

Air Force is 9-21 overall and went 2-16 in the Mountain West. The Falcons are led by Rytis Petraitis, who averages a team-high 15.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

The teams split the season series, each winning on the other’s home court. The Lobos won 85-66 on Jan. 20 in Colorado Springs, while the Falcons edged UNM 78-77 on Feb. 24 at The Pit.

The winner of the game will advance to the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament on Thursday against No. 3 seed Boise State. That game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. PT (9:30 p.m. MT) at the Thomas & Mack Center, with the game televised on CBS Sports Network.