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New Mexico redshirt junior center Alex Kirk said that while playing for the Americans at the World University Games in Russia, he spent time in the cafeteria with New Mexico State guard Daniel Mullings, who played for the Canadian team.
The two will meet again as competitors tonight when the Lobos travel to Las Cruces to battle the Aggies in the first of two Rio Grande Rivalry games.
“I know (Mullings is) a great player, and what he did this summer for the Canadian university team was amazing when he came in and did the attacking,” Kirk said. “He’s having a big season.”
UNM head coach Craig Neal called Mullings one of the best guards his team will face this season. The Aggie junior has scored nearly 18 points per game through NMSU’s first nine games, and he needs 22 more points to reach the 1,000 career point mark.
The Lobos have a 1,000-point scorer of their own in senior Kendall Williams, who achieved it when he was a junior. Only nine UNM players matched that feat prior to their senior years. He currently has 1,388 career points.
Williams didn’t have much to say about the upcoming game against UNM’s in-state rival, saying the team usually leaves right after the games so he doesn’t know much about Las Cruces.
“I love rivalry games,” Williams said. “It should be fun.”
Against New Mexico, NMSU (7-2) will play its second Mountain West Conference member in as many games. Mullings and fellow guard DK Eldridge netted a combined 47 points in the Aggies’ 85-83 loss to Colorado State on Saturday. Eldridge and center Sim Bhullar join Mullings in double-digit scoring averages with 12.7 points and 10.3 points per game, respectively.
Bhullar, a 7-foot-5 sophomore, already ranks among the best shot blockers in NMSU history. His 115 blocks place him fifth on the school’s all-time list, and he had 10 blocks in a Nov. 27 game against Prairie View A&M.
“They keep saying he’s losing weight, he’s getting better, and I think that’s big time,” Kirk said. “It’s tough. He’s a big dude.
Being able to get around him, he affects everyone on the floor when he’s on the floor. He definitely helps them.”
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UNM (5-1) enters the game following a 73-66 home win against San Diego in which Williams, Kirk and senior forward Cameron Bairstow combined for 65 points. That trio has emerged as UNM’s top scoring threats with Williams averaging 19.8 points, Kirk scoring 20.8 and Bairstow adding 19 points per game.
In a basketball rivalry dating back to 1904, UNM holds a 115-95 winning advantage on NMSU, including 10 of the last 11 meeting and the last five straight in Las Cruces. The Aggies, however, are 58-43 all-time in games played on their home floor.
“It’s always a great game. We’re excited for it,” Craig Neal said. “It’s going to be a great challenge for our team on the road, and we probably need another challenge to see what we’re made of.”
