New Mexico Basketball’s Five Biggest Games in 2019-20
Winning these five games could be crucial
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Which five games have the greatest implications for the Lobos?
With its official slate of games released, New Mexico will start the season against Eastern New Mexico, a division II school in the state of New Mexico.
No, the Greyhounds didn’t quite make the cut for New Mexico’s five biggest games this season (conference and non-conference included), but neither is the best team New Mexico will play.
“One of the scrimmage opponents we have is the best team we’ll probably face all year,” said Paul Weir during a September 12 press conference.
While the teams involved in scrimmaging the Lobos couldn’t be disclosed, Weir assured reporters at the press conference that the results will likely find their way to the public after the games have been played. Considering New Mexico has Auburn and New Mexico State on the schedule, the scrimmage results will be, if nothing else interesting to note.
But aside from games that have no direct impact on the schedule, there are some key games in both the non-conference and conference slew of games that could have major implications for Weir’s squad. While there were 10 contenders for this list, only five could make the final cut, so let’s get to the games.
5. 12/19 Nevada (Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit – Albuquerque, NM)
With Steve Alford at the helm of the program and Craig Neal once more his assistant, (a duo that had massive success in the Mountain West Conference at New Mexico) the Wolf Pack will take on the Lobos in mid-December.
Alford and Neal’s return to Albuquerque will be a fun one to watch, especially if Nevada finds success in its first season under the Alford/Neal tandem. While this game is early in the conference season and may or may not have conference title race implications, the value of the story-line makes this a must-watch event.
4. 2/12 San Diego State (Viejas Arena – San Diego, CA)
If one of New Mexico’s goals is to be atop the Mountain, they’ll have to pick up a few wins here and there away from The Pit, particularly against the best in the conference. If the Aztecs and Lobos perform as expected, stealing a win at Viejas Arena could have significant meaning for conference standings.
When the Mountain West was a multi-bid league, New Mexico and San Diego State had a rivalry that was a treat to watch. Here’s to hoping this game will have the intensity of the battles between the former powerhouses of the Mountain West Conference.
3. 12/14 New Mexico State (Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit – Albuquerque, NM)
Chris Jans has done an incredible job since taking over head coaching duties at New Mexico State after Paul Weir left for New Mexico. The success Weir had in Las Cruces has been perpetuated under Jans, who has led the Aggies to two consecutive NCAA appearances as a 12 seed out of the Western Athletic Conference. In his time at New Mexico State, Jans can boast unprecedented success against the Aggies’ rival up I-25, beating the Lobos through four consecutive contests.
The home edition of the rivalry, dating back to 1904, will be a critical game for Paul Weir and company. Holding the home court against an Aggies team that, like Auburn, will likely be flirting with top 25 status early in the season is a must-win for post-season consideration.
2. 11/25 Auburn (Legends Classic, Barclays Center – Brooklyn, NY)
A year removed from a Final Four berth, the Tigers will likely take a step back (albeit a relatively small one). With the 20th ranked recruiting class, Auburn will likely be a top 25 team early in the season, if not hovering just outside of the mix. This is one of the few opportunities New Mexico will have at competing with a power conference foe, boosting the both the team’s resumé and Mountain West Conference’s profile heading into conference action.
If they lose though, they’ll still have a couple of opportunities to pick up some decent wins against Wisconsin or a pretty solid-looking Richmond Spiders team.
1. 2/29 Utah State (Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit – Albuquerque, NM)
In ’18-19, New Mexico struck out against the Aggies, going 0-3 against Craig Smith‘s talented team. Even in the closest of the three games, things just didn’t seem to go New Mexico’s way. In Albuquerque, a game in which New Mexico held a late 62-61 advantage and the ball was lost after referees called what was later deemed an incorrect over-and-back call against New Mexico. The call gave Utah State’s Abel Porter enough time to sink a last second three-point shot.
This year, New Mexico will get its shot once more at the Aggies in the Pit with a cast that should be significantly better than a year ago, but they’ll have to stop Neemias Queta and Sam Merrill this time around. In the three games against New Mexico, Queta and Merrill combined for an average of 35.0 points, 13.7 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 blocks per game (yes, all the blocks were to Queta’s credit). As the final regular season game for both of these teams, this could be another game that has big-time implications for conference standings.
Honorable Mention
- 11/21 New Mexico State (Pan Am Center – Las Cruces, NM)
- 11/26 Richmond/Wisconsin (Legends Classic, Barclays Center – Brooklyn, NY)
- 12/17 Grand Canyon (Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit – Albuquerque, New Mexico)
- 1/29 San Diego State (Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit – Albuquerque, New Mexico)
- 2/23 Boise State (ExtraMile Arena – Boise, ID)
