The Lobos lost big against Boise State in Idaho earlier in the season, but hope to return the favor as they welcome the Broncos into Dreamstyle Arena aka The Pit on Tuesday evening.
Boise State (19-4, 9-2 MW) punished the University of New Mexico men's basketball team when the two teams hooked up on Jan. 3—blowing out the Lobos by a score of 90-62.
But New Mexico (12-12, 7-4 MW) has looked like a different team since that game, posting wins in six of its last eight matchups and sit alone in third place in the Mountain West standings.
Head coach Paul Weir has seemed to find a good balance, mixing in some players that missed significant playing time without having them miss a beat.
Senior Sam Logwood made his return to the floor on Saturday against San Jose State and played a major role in staving off the Spartans for a 71-68 Lobo victory. He scored 10 points in the game—included the final six UNM points of the game—and appeared to savor having another opportunity.
"Just being away from the game made me really realize how much I really loved it and how much I appreciate it," Logwood said. "I was just blessed to be out there again because you never know when the game will be taken away from you."
Logwood said the game against Boise State will be a big one and it is nice to get another shot at the Broncos. He said they have a lot of really good shooters and said the Lobos will have to stay locked in on the defensive end.
While Logwood and junior guard Troy Simons have returned to the fold, the status of Jachai Simmons (family) and Vladimir Pinchuk (concussion) could still be up in the air. And if those two aren't available, it will make things that much more difficult trying to knock off the No. 2 team in the conference.
Boise State has gone undefeated at home (13-0) so far this season, but it has been somewhat vulnerable on the road. The Broncos recently picked up a couple of victories away from home, but are just 4-3 in true road games this season.
They enter the matchup with the Lobos on a three-game winning streak—getting there by knocking off UNLV 93-91 in overtime on Saturday.
BSU and UNM both put up its share of points with the Broncos averaging 79.2 points per contest compared to 79.1 for the Lobos.
Boise State has four players with double-digit scoring totals—the leading scorer is senior Chandler Hutchison, who has posted a point total of 19.8 per game. While New Mexico also boasts four in double figures, with Logwood leading the way with 12.7 points.
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Tip time for the game is 8 p.m. at Dreamstyle Arena and can be viewed on ESPNU or heard on 770 KKOB-AM Lobo Radio Network.
Robert Maler is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers basketball, football and tennis. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Robert_Maler.
