The Lobos (3-2) went 1-2 over the course of the six-day stint, defeating George Mason but dropping games to Boston College and Texas A&M in the ESPN Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
They will return to The Pit on Sunday afternoon where they will face a Pac-12 USC Trojans team that was picked to finish 10th in the conference preseason poll.
The Trojans (2-3) have the 12th highest recruiting class this year and are still trying to find their groove early in the season.
A familiar face will be returning to The Pit on Sunday, as sophomore guard Katin Reinhardt will be wearing red and gold instead of red and black. Reinhardt played his freshman year at conference rival UNLV last year and transferred after the season ended.
He is averaging 11.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game this season.
The Lobos have faced much of the adversity that head coach Craig Neal has talked about, but they probably faced it earlier than they wanted to. With two early injuries to sophomore guard Cullen Neal and junior guard Arthur Edwards, the Lobos will have to find one of the new recruits to step up.
Cullen Neal suffered an ankle/foot injury in the Lobos first game of the ESPN Puerto Rico Tip-Off and did not return for the rest of the tournament. The Lobos could have used Neal’s scoring (17.0 points per game) in all three games this past weekend.
Edwards went for a steal late in the game against Texas A&M and immediately walked off the court. Head coach Craig Neal said that he fractured a bone in his hand and there is no timetable as to when he will return.
Junior college transfer Jordan Goodman showed sparks with his talent this weekend but needs to be more consistent in order to be an impact player.
He scored four points against Boston College and five points against Texas A&M but showed what he is capable of in a win against George Mason. He scored a career-high 19 points on 7-10 shooting and added five rebounds.
Jordan Goodman has been recovering from a knee surgery he sustained in the offseason, and UNM fans have been waiting for him to have a breakout game after all the hype surrounding the Junior College All-American.
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If Goodman can consistently produce for the Lobos, Neal has said he has the potential to be a starter for the rest of the season.
Turnovers have also hurt the Lobos early in the season as they are averaging 14.2 turnovers per game after averaging 10.6 all of last year.
Neither Craig Neal nor the team had media availability Tuesday.
Kyle Tomasi is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @KyTo22.
Men’s basketball vs. USC
Sunday
2 p.m.
TV: CBS Sports Network
