Why wait? Aggies, Lobos to play hoops rivalry as early on calendar as ever

Why wait?

This year's New Mexico-New Mexico State men's basketball rivalry game will be played Nov. 15 in the Pan American Center in Las Cruces.

That is tied for the earliest the game has ever appeared on the hoops calendar. The rivals also played one another Nov. 15, 2015.

In that Las Cruces game, Elijah Brown had 31 points and Cullen Neal scored 18 in an 83-74 Lobos win, overcoming a trio of well-known Aggies in double figures in Pascal Siakam (23), Ian Baker (19) and Braxton Huggins (14).

November games in the series are a bit of a rarity. Since 1980 — a span of 45 years and 84 games — this will be just the 13th November game in the series.

It's the only scheduled game in the rivalry this season.

Both schools agreed two years ago to drop to one game what had been for a century a twice-a-season, once in Albuquerque, once in Las Cruces, rivalry.

While nothing has been finalized, coaches or administrators from both schools have told the Journal in the past few months they have every intention of returning the rivalry to twice a season, giving both schools what has is traditionally their largest nonconference home attendance for years.

UNM has a 125-104 advantage in the Rio Grande Rivalry with the Aggies holding a 61-49 series lead in games played in Las Cruces.

The series is tied — 5-5 — in the last 10 times with NMSU winning an overtime thriller in the Pit last year. UNM has won the last three in Las Cruces.

FGCU in the Pit

Late last week, UNM announced Florida Gulf Coast would be playing in the Pit on Dec. 14.

It will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

FGCU went 19-15 last season including 13-5 and a third-place finish in the Atlantic Sun conference.

The Lobos now have 10 nonconference games and are expected to finalize the schedule with one game against a non-Division I opponent, likely one of New Mexico's three Division II schools.

UNM also needs to announce another preseason game — either a closed scrimmage or an open-to-the-public exhibition game.

The NCAA allows two preseason contests. UNM has one, an exhibition game scheduled for Oct. 30 in the Pit against Northern Arizona. They had a closed scrimmage scheduled against Santa Clara, but that was scrapped when the two teams agreed to play a home-and-home regular season series starting this season in the Pit.

UNM's two road games in nonconference will be at VCU and at NMSU. The Lobos play two neutral-site games in Kansas City, Missouri, as part of the Hall of Fame Classic. They open that tournament against Nebraska on Nov. 20 and play either Kansas State or Mississippi State on Nov. 21.

The other seven nonconference games will be in the Pit.

Nonconference schedule

2025-26 UNM Lobo MBB schedule

(as of Aug. 25)

• Oct. 30 — Exhibition vs. Northern Arizona (the Pit)

• Nov. 5 — vs. East Texas A&M, the Pit

• Nov. 8 — vs. UT Arlington, the Pit

• Nov. 11 — vs. UC Riverside, the Pit

• Nov. 15 — at New Mexico State, Pan Am Center (Las Cruces)

• Nov. 20-21 — Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, Missouri (vs. Nebraska on Nov. 20 and then either Kansas State or Mississippi State on Nov. 21).

• Nov. 26 — Alabama State, the Pit

• Dec. 6 — Santa Clara, the Pit

• Dec. 10 — at VCU (Richmond, Virginia)

• Dec. 14 — Florida Gulf Coast, the Pit

• date TBD — UNM will host one non-Division I opponent, most likely one of the state’s three Division II schools.