The Lobo men’s basketball team will face off against Brigham Young University on Friday, Oct. 27, for an exhibition match that will help raise money for Hurricane Harvey victims in Houston, according to a University of a New Mexico press release.
Multiple coaches and teams were trying to get an exhibition game set up, according to head coach Paul Weir. BYU matched up best with New Mexico from a scheduling standpoint, and the exhibition match was made official last week.
“To be totally honest, I woke up — and I forget what morning it was — and I had several text messages from coaches that started reaching out to each other,” Weir said on how the exhibition came into fruition. “This probably would’ve been Monday or Tuesday of this week, and coaches across the country started realizing we can play an extra game.”
The exhibition match was approved by the NCAA through the Legislative Relief Process. This allows schools to participate in exhibition games, where the proceeds are donated to a disaster relief charity.
This is the first time New Mexico will play BYU in either men’s or women’s basketball since 2015, when the Cougars annihilated the Lobos 96-66 in a non-conference game. However, at one time, BYU and the Lobos co-existed in the same conference, in which they played 131 games against each other. The Cougars hold the all-time series lead with a record of 76-55.
An exhibition game wasn’t always in the cards, Weir said. But that all changed when the opportunity to play BYU came up.
“The BYU game obviously changes that. But I think the gravity of that game, both basketball-wise and community service-wise, was just too great of an opportunity to pass up for our program,” he said.
For Weir, the exhibition match could be another golden opportunity to revive the program and engage Lobo fans by renewing a once-fierce rivalry, even if it is just for one night. He went on to say the exhibition is a good way to get the fans excited for what’s to come.
“I think just the history of our rivalry would be a really cool deal for the fans and would help us kick off the season,” he said.
Both Vance Jackson, a sophomore transfer from UCONN, and JaQuan Lyle, a junior transfer from Ohio State, will not be able to participate in the exhibition, according to NCAA transfer rules.
Tickets will go on sale for the game on Monday, Oct. 23 at 8:30 p.m. All tickets will be $10, though students can get in free with a student ID.
The Lobos open the regular season on Nov. 11 against Northern New Mexico.
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Matthew Narvaiz is a senior sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers baseball and men’s and women’s basketball but also contributes content for football. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @matt_narvaiz.
