Now the Lobos will host in-state rival New Mexico State University on Wednesday night in the newly renamed WisePies Arena, aka The Pit. This will be the first game played under a new name since 1966 when Univer sity Arena (The Pit) opened.
UNM (3-3) is hoping to bounce back after a poor second half shooting performance where they shot 20 percent (5-25) in a 66-54 loss to USC on Sunday.
Senior guard Hugh Greenwood looks to rebound after a zero-point, two-assist and two-turnover outing against the Trojans. Head coach Craig Neal said Greenwood might be trying to do too much with the absence of sophomore guard Cullen Neal.
“I think he’s just got to relax and let the game come to him,” Craig Neal said. “Even though I do think he can score the ball, I think he has to continue to do the things that have made him the player that he is.”
The coach said even with all the injuries and struggles the Lobos have faced early this season, he has to lead his young team through their early growing pains.
“We have to continue to teach, continue to get better,” he said. “The biggest thing is I just want my guys to play hard and get better every day and try to develop into the team that they can become.”
The Lobos will be without their leading scorer, Cullen Neal for the fourth straight game while he recovers from an ankle injury.
Jordan Goodman will also be inactive due to the 10-day concussion protocol that requires players with concussion-like symptoms to rest for those allotted days. He will be reassessed later this week to determine his return date.
Arthur Edwards will miss his second straight game as he is recovering from a finger injury sustained on Nov. 23 in Puerto Rico.
Neal hinted that either Cullen Neal or Edwards could be redshirted in the near future. He would not say definitively whether or not this would happen.
The Lobos’ starting five will be the same as Sunday’s game, which consisted of Greenwood, Xavier Adams, Deshawn Delaney, Devon Williams and Obij Aget.
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The Aggies (3-4) are led by senior guard Daniel Mullings, who is coming off of a Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2014 and was picked to be preseason WAC Player of the Year again this year.
“I think one of the reasons why he (Mullings) is so good and what makes him so good is he is always aggressive,” Neal said. “He’s always on the attack. I think what makes him so potent is his aggressiveness and his attack mode.”
Lobo fans might remember a season ago when the Aggies jumped out to a quick 23-5 lead that the Lobos could not overcome. The Aggies went on to win the game 67-61.
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. NMSU
Wednesday
7:00 p.m.
ESPN3
