The tradition continues, as the UNM men's basketball team heads down I-25 to challenge its intrastate rival New Mexico State, tonight at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces.
In the 191st meeting between the teams, the Lobos and Ritchie McKay will look to avenge last season's Aggies' sweep of the series.
The Lobos (2-1) are coming off a taxing home loss Monday night against the Portland Pilots, while the Aggies are 3-0. The teams' paths to the upcoming battle have been similar, both exerting easy victories over Division II squads.
As the Lobos embark on their first road game of the season, the undermanned team will be presented with a major challenge - winning a pressure-filled battle.
In the second half of Monday's game against Portland, the inexperienced Lobos wilted under pressure. That game was at home. Tonight, the Lobos will have to battle another talented, experienced team in the Aggies, and this game will be in a hostile environment.
NMSU finished last year's regular season 20-12, but was ousted in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament by Western Kentucky in the semi-final round.
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NMSU returns seven lettermen, including senior-sensation James Moore. Moore is a 6-foot-8 versatile forward with prolific scoring ability. Moore was picked SBC Preseason Player of the Year and so far has lived up to the hype. He has scored in double digits in all three games this year and is shooting 58 percent from the floor.
Moore's sidekick is three-year letterman, Kelsey Crooks. He is the team's spark plug and has an uncanny ability to find himself open under the basket.
Moore and Crooks' supporting cast is deep, big and athletic. For the Lobos, who are smaller and without a deep bench, they will have their work cut out. The Aggies have nine players over 6-foot-5, while the Lobos have just five. Of those only two players, David Chiotti and Alfred Neale, play quality minutes.
The pre-game hoopla may seem like a mismatch in favor of the Aggies, but this is the biggest rivalry in the Land of Enchantment and the adage "anything can happen," really does means anything can happen.
Last year in Las Cruces, UNM almost pulled out a stunning upset. With 21 seconds left and the Lobos up by one, Ruben Douglas was stripped of the ball in the frontcourt, while Jason Fontenet scored the eventual game-winning, break-away layup. In that game, UNM was overmatched, but not over willed. The same could be true for this year's game.
The cards are stacked against the Lobos and in order to win, UNM needs some much-needed offensive production from the bench.
The UNM bench scored no points in the loss to Portland.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces. The game can be heard on 770 KOB-AM and will be broadcast live on KRQE-13.
