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Mid-October may only be preseason, but Saturday proved to be a highly productive day for New Mexico Lobos basketball. The team managed a 99-89 win over Oklahoma State, even though they faced challenges on the boards and a grueling trip back to Albuquerque.
In the victory, UNM was out-rebounded 45-35 overall and 22-11 on the offensive glass. The journey home was equally troublesome: the Lobos' flights were delayed out of Oklahoma City and then severely delayed out of Phoenix, keeping them from boarding until after midnight and landing in Albuquerque around 3 a.m.
Despite those hurdles, the on-court performance left little room for disappointment. The Lobos' offensive output in the historic Gallagher-Iba Arena was a bright spot, while Oklahoma State head coach Steve Lutz had nothing but praise for the visitors.
To play a team as good as New Mexico is and as well-coached as New Mexico is, I think it's fantastic, Lutz said Sunday evening, adding that the loss served as a wake-up call for his squad. If I didn't have their attention before the game, I certainly have their attention now after you gave up 99 points on your home floor.
The Lobos' 99 points were the most scored by an opponent in that arena since Oklahoma State defeated Texas 105-103 in triple overtime on Jan. 16, 2007. Sometimes you've got to get smacked in the face, Lutz remarked.
The third-year OSU coach noted that the Lobos' offensive prowess was no secret; his team simply couldn't defend without fouling. Oklahoma State was whistled for 33 fouls, and UNM converted 36-of-48 free throws, with seven different Lobos making multiple trips to the line.
We all knew that Jake Hall and (Uriah Tenette), the little point guard, No. 1, were both good players, Lutz said. You try to neutralize that, and then hopefully exploit the inside.
Key Analysis
Both coaches acknowledged that Oklahoma State held a size and experience advantage in the post, but neither felt the disparity was as lopsided as the stat sheet suggested. Lutz expressed frustration that 22 offensive rebounds yielded only 27 second-chance points, and he was disappointed his team didn't capitalize more on its interior advantages.
UNM coach Eric Olen anticipated a steep learning curve for his players who had never competed in a college game. While he was disappointed with the rebounding, he saw no cause for alarm. He emphasized that the preseason schedule, featuring Oklahoma State, Washington State, and Arizona State, provides excellent tests against strong rebounding teams. That's why these opponents, specifically Oklahoma State, Washington State, and Arizona State, those are going to be great rebounding teams, Olen said. So they're great tests for us. And I think if we can make some progress in the next couple weeks and shore some of that up, that's going to bode well for us going forward.
In other news, UNM officially released its final 2026-27 men's basketball schedule on Monday. The 32-game regular season includes 18 home games (20 if the two exhibition games in the Pit are counted), 12 road games, and two neutral-site games in the SoCal Challenge on Dec. 21 against Oregon State and Dec. 23 against Boise State in San Juan Capistrano, California.
Additionally, during Sunday's game at Oklahoma State, Ken Pomeroy released his annual preseason rankings on KenPom.com. These rankings, which factor in recent history and player data, can be skewed in a transfer-heavy era, especially for a team like UNM with many international players lacking college experience. Oklahoma State was ranked No. 45. For the Mountain West, the preseason KenPom rankings (national rank first, followed by the media poll prediction in parentheses) were: 44 Grand Canyon (2), 70 Nevada (3), 77 New Mexico (1), 78 UNLV (4), 117 Wyoming (5), 134 Hawaii (6), 154 San Jose State (7), 161 UTEP (9), 189 UC Davis (8), 265 Air Force (10).
Originally reported by yahoo.