Lobos vs Lopes is ripe for a rivalry

Could Saturday mark the beginning of a hot new women's basketball rivalry?

The key ingredients are on hand.

Grand Canyon will make its first visit to the Pit as a Mountain West member, taking on the University of New Mexico in a nationally-televised battle that will be aired on FS1.

As for that rivalry checklist:

Proximity: Check. UNM and GCU are roughly 420 miles apart. Only Air Force (360) is closer to Albuquerque among current Mountain West schools.

History of success: Check. Grand Canyon's program only dates back to 1998, but in the past 20 years the 'Lopes have had 17 winning seasons, eight with 20 or more wins. UNM has enjoyed 14 winning seasons in that span, nine with 20-plus wins.

Mascot appeal: Check. 'Lopes vs. Lobos has an undeniable ring to it.

History: Not so much. The teams have met just once — a 92-72 UNM win in the 2022 WNIT.

Nonetheless, Saturday's matchup appears loaded with rivalry potential. The Lobos and 'Lopes are both 4-3 in Mountain West play and battling to stay near the top of the conference standings. Both have talented rosters, both have had their ups and downs this season, and both retain high expectations for the season's final two months.

"Grand Canyon is really talented," UNM coach Mike Bradbury said, "maybe the most talented team in our league. They have a whole new roster, a new staff and they played a very difficult non-conference schedule, so it took some time for them to put things together. But they've found a rotation they're comfortable with and they're playing really well now."

About that difficult non-conference schedule, GCU played the likes of South Carolina, Oregon, Cal, St. Mary's and Santa Clara. The 'Lopes staggered to a 1-10 non-conference record.

"We did a terrible job scheduling," first-year GCU coach Winston Gandy said in an interview with themw.com.

Things have been different since Mountain West play started, as Grand Canyon's talent and chemistry have started coming together. The 'Lopes' roster includes 11 Division I transfers, including seven from power-conference programs.

"They play really fast and pressure you defensively," Bradbury said. "They have a deep bench and can throw a lot of different looks at you. Talent is not a problem."

Grand Canyon has not been at its best on the road this season (2-5), but its two wins came against MWC foes Boise State and San Jose State. Gandy said his team is looking forward to its high-profile visit to the Pit.

"I consider New Mexico one of the upper-echelon teams," he said. "They've beaten Colorado State and played some other good teams really close. We've got to show up and be ready to play right from the start."

Consistency has been an issue for both teams at times, and UNM has struggled recently to put four good quarters together. The Lobos were outscored 22-8 and 23-9 in the fourth quarters of their last two games, losses to Nevada and San Diego State.

"Good question," Bradbury said when asked about solving his team's good-quarter, bad-quarter issues. "Unfortunately, there's no secret sauce to fix that. We've spent a lot of time looking at breakdowns and how those rough stretches got started. Now we just have to keep working, stay together and be better."

FREE POINTS? UNM and GCU have similar statistical numbers this season with one exception. The 'Lopes lead the MW in free-throw percentage (80.6%), while the Lobos rank 11th (64.4%). GCU's Chloe Mann has hit a league-best 88.4% for the season. Laila Abdurraqib (79.2%) leads UNM players with 10 attempts or more, while Alyssa Hargrove (76.5%) is the only starter above 70%. UNM went 10-for-10 from the line against Wyoming on Dec. 31 but was 4-for-12 Wednesday at San Diego State.