NCAA Basketball: 25 best team rivalries heading into 2019-20 season
By Joey Loose
12. New Mexico Lobos vs. New Mexico State Aggies
This list is full of in-state rivalries, but college basketball in New Mexico is just a little different. The two teams always play twice a year, despite being in different conferences. The intensity between fans and players has boiled over in recent years and the competitive nature of this rivalry should only continue to grow stronger.
These teams have played each other for an incredibly long time, with New Mexico holding the edge at 121 to 101. However, the Aggies have won the last five games, with head coach Chris Jans 4-0 against his new rivals.
This past season, things boiled over after a pregame skirmish between the two teams. There was pushing and shoving before the Aggies hung 100 on the Lobos, winning by 35 points in a blowout.
If you look way back in time, these two teams played each other in the 1968 NCAA Tournament, with the Aggies victorious 62-58 in the regional third-place game. Until recently, the series had been much kinder to the Lobos, who went 16-3 against the Aggies before their recent streak.
A.J. Harris put up 31 points for the Aggies in their 98-94 road win last season, just the latest in a series of great performances in this rivalry.
New Mexico should be better this year, but will they stop the Aggies’ hot streak? New Mexico coach Paul Weir has been on both sides of this rivalry but has fared poorly (1-5) to this point. Will there be more aggression this season or will we get a few competitive games out of these New Mexico schools?