Brigham Young's last memory of the Lobos is a bitter one - losing to UNM in the Mountain West Conference championship game last season.
Thursday, the Lobos will travel to Provo, Utah to face the Cougars, who are still licking their wounds.
The Cougars were back-to-back MWC champions until the Lobos dethroned them 52-46 last season in Las Vegas.
This year in preseason polls, BYU was picked to finish second in the conference behind Utah. However, they are 0-2 in conference play after losing to Wyoming and Colorado State last week.
Now, after a five-game road swing, the Cougars return to Provo for the first time since Jan. 3. And they're desperate for a win.
"BYU is going to be so hungry. They're going to play harder than they've ever played," UNM head coach Don Flanagan said. "We have to match their intensity. We're going to have to play harder than them, and we're going to have to rebound better."
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The Cougars suffered a tough loss in Colorado State, and after leading most of the game, lost a heartbreaker to the Rams in the final seconds.
BYU was not able to regroup after the loss, and fell two nights later to Wyoming.
This was surprising news Flanagan said.
"They lost in a very close game at CSU," he said. "I think they were very discouraged in that game, and then went to Wyoming and took that with them."
BYU is now 10-6, including a win over San Francisco, who beat UNM earlier this season 43-37. The Cougars beat San Francisco by a five-point margin.
Leading the Cougars in scoring and rebounding is Danielle Cheeseman, who averages 11.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
It will be the 50th meeting of two teams, and the Cougars have a commanding 33-16 lead in the series. This year, the Lobos depend largely on the freshman, and Flanagan said they are learning to play well on the road.
"They've been good," he said. "They're a little tentative at first when we first get them in, but each game, in each person, I see a little bit more confident player."
But out of 14 games the Lobos have only played on four unfamiliar courts this season, out of 14 games. Their only road-win of the season came Saturday at the Air Force Academy.
"You're always nervous on the road because it's a different atmosphere," freshman guard Katie Montgomery said. "And the support we really miss on the road, but hopefully, this trip will go well."
However, Flanagan said this is the toughest road trip of the season. After playing in Provo, Utah on Thursday, the Lobos will travel to Salt Lake City to take on the Utes.
"Year in and year out, both those teams are very good," Flanagan said. "Utah's the best team in the conference."
But for now UNM is taking one game at a time and focusing soley on Brigham Young.
"They're going to be real physical and real tough and dirty," Montgomery said. "There will be a lot of pushing and stuff. But we're just going to push them right back, and hopefully we'll get the win."
