The Enchantment — headlined by Lobos legend Donovan Dent — has announced their New Mexico-packed roster ahead of their upcoming tournament with a $2 million prize on the line.
This year’s NBA Finals were an exhilarating ride, with the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs neck-and-neck at pivotal moments during the five games played. The Spurs led by double digits at some point in every game, yet they could not stave off the Knicks. The Knicks’ appearance in the finals ended a 27-year drought of early endings to their season, and their Game 5 win ended a 53-year title drought.
Where there’s a victor, there’s a loser, and sometimes, certain athletes contribute to their team’s shortcomings. These athletes are favorably called bobbleheads. This year's NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs has brought us down-to-the-wire action throughout every game, but with that comes the emergence of bobbleheads and two stand out above the rest, specifically for their errors in a pivotal Game 4 of this series.
After just one season, the University of New Mexico and men’s basketball coach Eric Olen have agreed to a five-year contract, keeping him in New Mexico for the foreseeable future. In his single season at the helm, Olen led the Lobos to a 26-11 record (13-7 in conference play), and an NIT tournament appearance where they made a deep run but ultimately lost to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Olen also now holds the title for most postseason wins (conference & national tournaments) by a first-year Lobo head coach with four.
In a game where both teams needed to win to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, the University of New Mexico Lobos men's basketball went head-to-head against the San Diego State University Aztecs in the semifinals of the Mountain West Tournament on March 13 in Las Vegas. The Lobos could not win big, losing 64-62 and missing the NCAA Tournament after making it the previous two years.
The University of New Mexico Lobos men’s basketball team seemed up for the challenge against the San Diego State University Aztecs, in what could be the Lobos last trip to Viejas Arena, with the Aztecs moving to the Pac-12 next year. The game came down to the wire, with SDSU guard BJ Davis making a last-second shot, leading to an 83-79 win on Saturday, Jan. 17. With the Aztecs having a slim lead early over the Lobos, guard Luke Haupt made a crucial three-pointer to put the Lobos up. Lobo guard Jake Hall kept the momentum going, scoring two shots. With the team flowing, guard Tajavis Miller stepped up, making crucial shots to keep the game close while the team fought to stay up.
Saturday, Dec. 2 saw the University of New Mexico Lobos and the New Mexico State University Aggies men’s basketball teams meet for the first time since November 2022. Last November, a conflict between UNM students and former members of the NMSU basketball team ended in the death of Brandon Travis – a UNM student. Head Coach Pitino commented on the conflict during a press conference on Friday, Dec. 1 and how that would affect Saturday night’s game. “It was obviously a huge tragedy, but I don’t think it had anything to do with the rivalry,” Pitino said. UNM’s Athletic Director Eddie Nuñez and NMSU Athletic Director Mario Moccia felt the rivalry could resume safely with security precautions, according to the Albuquerque Journal. Saturday night, The Pit was filled to capacity as the Lobos put on a show-stopping performance, winning 106-62 and taking their seventh game in the season, almost doubling their opponents' score.
On Tuesday, Feb. 28, the University of New Mexico men's basketball defeated the Fresno State University Bulldogs 94-80 in their final home game of the season. They improved to a 8-9 record in conference play. It was senior night at The Pit: Emmanuel Kuac, KJ Jenkins, Josiah Allick, Jaelen House and Morris Udeze were honored before the game. They received flowers and a framed photo of one their highlights. Fans celebrated the players with a standing ovation and a "thank you seniors" chant. Besides Udeze, all players have an extra year of eligibility they earned for the year they lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The University of New Mexico men's basketball team defeated the Western New Mexico University Mustangs 102-63 on Tuesday, Dec. 6. The Lobos improved to an 8-0 record and are one of ten undefeated teams in the nation. There were five Lobos with double digit scoring, and all 12 Lobos who played scored in the game. This included Mac Manzanares and Safi Fino-A-Laself who each scored their first points as a member of the Lobos. Morris Udeze led the team in scoring with 18 points, and Josiah Allick grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds. Off of the bench, Birima Seck had a career night, scoring 11 points and getting eight rebounds in just 11 minutes of play.
Nearly a month into the season, the University of New Mexico men's basketball team are 7-0 and are one of only 14 remaining undefeated teams in Division 1 basketball. While the Lobos haven't played a lot of prestigious programs, they have played against a lot of competitive teams. After a win against St. Mary's College, UNM looks poised to make a run in the conference — and maybe make the NCAA tournament.
The University of New Mexico men's basketball team hosted the Lobo Classic over the weekend where they played Jacksonville State University, North Dakota State University and Northern Colorado University over three consecutive days from Nov. 25-27. Each team faced each other once in a round-robin tournament. It was the first time The Pit hosted a midseason tournament since the 2007-08 season. The Lobos finished first in the tournament with 3 wins and 0 losses. They advanced to an overall record of 6-0. The last time the Lobos started out 6-0 was the 2012-13 season. Morris Udeze had a great tournament and was named the Lobo Classic MVP. He also made the NCAA all-tournament team.
The University of New Mexico men's basketball team played the University of South Alabama Jaguars on Friday, Nov. 11, coming out victorious 80-74 in a game that went down to the wire. Jaelen House and Morris Udeze both scored 21 points. Jamal Mashburn Jr. had 16 points and hit the game-winning 3-pointer off a pass from Josiah Allick; Allick almost had a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds.
The University of New Mexico men's basketball team defeated the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds for their season opener on Monday, Nov. 7. The Thunderbirds play in the Western Athletic Conference; they finished the 2021-22 season with an overall record of 23-12. Tevian Jones led them in scoring with an impressive 28 points and timely scoring which kept them in the game. The Lobo backcourt had an amazing scoring performance with Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Jaelen House earning 24 and 23 points, respectively. House also had six steals and seven assists. Morris Udeze had 14 points, making 7 of his 11 shots.
The University of New Mexico Lobo men’s basketball team defeated the Colorado State University Pueblo Thunderwolves 85-52 in their exhibition match on Saturday, Oct. 29. The team looked strong with their new lineup that looks to fix some of the issues that plagued them last season. Jaelen House led the Lobos in scoring with 20 points; he also had three assists along with a steal and only played for 16 minutes. Jamal Mashburn Jr. got the team off to a hot start and set the tone for the game; he had 11 points.
Former University of New Mexico men's basketball player Anthony Mathis recently announced he had entered the NCAA transfer portal. He didn't stay there for very long. Multiple reports have confirmed that Mathis has given a verbal commitment and apparently found a new basketball home — his old one.
Former ESPN top-100 basketball recruit JJ Caldwell was officially announced as an addition to the University of New Mexico men's basketball team on Friday, according to a release. The release said Caldwell will join the team as a junior, transferring to UNM after previously playing with the Texas A&M Aggies. He is immediately eligible to play and will begin the final two years of his eligibility at the start of the 2019-20 campaign.
Utah State University men's basketball coach Craig Smith said it's something he speaks to his team about on a constant basis, but it's not what you may be thinking. "Next best action," Smith said. When things are not going right for the Aggies, he said his players are urged to think "NBA" and try to find a way to reverse the trend.
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Lobo men's basketball played a first half that may have been the worst of the season before a sophomore transfer decided enough was enough and willed his team to victory to advance in the 2019 Mountain West Basketball Championship. Former UCONN product Vance Jackson was wide open for a corner 3 and called for the ball early in the second half. His teammate didn't see him though and instead the Lobos threw up a contested shot that was off the mark.
Senior night. Words that, when paired together, can elicit a wide array of emotions — from a feeling of nostalgia to a burning desire to put a punctuation mark on one's time at college. And University of New Mexico men's basketball senior guard Dane Kuiper was able to put a stamp on his final regular home game, sending he and fellow senior teammate Anthony Mathis off with a 73-72 victory over the visiting Boise State Broncos.
The University of New Mexico men's basketball team has known for a while that its only path to the NCAA Tournament is to win the Mountain West Championship later in the month. But that doesn't mean the final three regular season games aren't still important — and the Lobos treated Saturday's bout against Colorado State as such, winning 77-65 to improve to 6-10 in conference play and 12-16 overall. The win puts UNM in a tie with Boise State for 9th in the conference and keeps alive the possibility of climbing higher in the seeding prior to the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas.
Solutions by The State News
