One of the more underappreciated rivalries in college basketball, New Mexico’s rivalry with New Mexico State adds a new layer with Paul Weir going from the Aggies to the Lobos.
TV schedule: Friday, Nov. 17, 9:00 p.m. ET. ESPN3
Arena: Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico
One of the things that makes this in-state rivalry unique is the home and home non-conference setup the series between the New Mexico Lobos and the New Mexico State Aggies has. Last season, each team beat each other on their own court. The first game of the series will be played at New Mexico State (1-1), with the return game Dec. 9 at New Mexico (2-0).
While the Lobos have been historically the better program, it’s been the Aggies that have been tops in the state as of late. One of the main reasons is because they have been playing in the Western Athletic Conference, a relatively weak league that NMSU has taken advantage of. They’ve reached the NCAA Tournament five of the past six seasons, and have steadily been bringing in high-level talent.
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This team is no different, with a solid starting five featuring Eli Chuha and Jemerrio Jones in the frontcourt. Jones pulled down the most rebounds in a game in this early season with 19. Ohio State transfer AJ Harris has played well so far, averaging 12.5 ppg and 5.0 apg. The biggest surprise has been leading scorer Zach Lofton, the grad transfer from Texas Southern who has put up 21.5 ppg.
Although they’re coming off of a 92-74 defeat at No. 22 Saint Mary’s, the Aggies look every bit of the top contender in the WAC this year.
After losing their top two players, Tim Williams and Elijah Brown to graduation, the Lobos were picked ninth in both the Preseason Mountain West polls, as well as our own Busting Brackets rankings. It might still be early to reexamine their spot, but they’ve put up some impressive offensive numbers. They dropped 147 on D-II Northern New Mexico and 103 on Summit League Omaha.
Everyone’s contributed to the offensive barrage, with seven guys scoring in double figures. The lead guy has been Troy Simmons with 21.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg.
The Aggies have been tested, while the Lobos have not. Regardless of opponent, 147 points is an impressive feat, but, now, New Mexico will take on a team will good size up front. This game will be an indicator of whether or not to take this team seriously.
Next: WAC rankings for 2017-18
There might not be many national eyeballs on this one, but it should be a good game to watch with plenty of offense and emotion — particularly dealing with new Lobos head coach Paul Weir, who just months ago took the opposing players to the big dance.
Prediction: New Mexico State 96 – New Mexico 87