Lobos found another game.
The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team will play the University of San Francisco in Las Vegas, Nevada at 9:30 p.m. on December 12 at the Michelob Ultra Arena in addition to the scheduled Jack Jones Hoopfest . Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
The game will be the second double-double between Creighton and Arizona State. Whether the match will be televised or streamed has yet to be determined.
The contract for the event was finalized Friday night, though news of the game was first reported Friday morning before it was finalized by CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein.
The decision last month to cancel the UNM-New Mexico State University two-game series this season puts the Lobos two games short of the maximum number of 31 games the NCAA allows before the conference tournament.
Coach Richard Pitino’s Lobos (7-0) aren’t in any danger for not playing enough games. But to bolster an NCAA tournament resume, you need as many quality wins as possible, and the Aggies give the Lobos two top-flight games each year against opponents rated in the 100-150 range.
Last season, UNM’s win over New Mexico State, which ranks 78th in the NCAA’s NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) rankings, is considered a Quad 2 win, one of two won by the Lobos (the other being their home over. No. 58 Wyoming State).
Five of Robles’ 13 non-league appearances this season look like they have a chance at the Quad 1 or Quad 2 level. The loss of the NMSU game meant they were down to three. SMU’s wins after an offseason coaching change are certainly still impressive, but if the Broncos continue to struggle, there’s no guarantee of a Quad 2 win by the end of the season.
The NCAA NET rankings for the season will be announced later this month. But San Francisco (7-1) of the West Coast Conference, ranked 95th in the KenPom rankings and 116th in ESPN’s BPI rankings as of Friday night, puts a neutral-court game under consideration by the NCAA selection committee. Potential Quad 2 game as Lobos.
UNM is 81 in KenPom and 66 in BPI.
The NCAA’s quadrant system, used to help rank quality of play for tournament selection purposes, uses the NET rankings and defines its four quadrants of play as follows:
• Quad 1: Home vs. teams ranked 1-30; Neutral vs. 1-50; Away vs. 1-75.
• Quad 2: Home vs. ranked 31-75; Neutral vs. 51-100; Away vs. 76-135.
Quad 3 and 4 games are not considered quality wins, although their losses could hurt the team’s chances.
Based on current standings, UNM’s win at St. Mary’s on Wednesday is considered a possible Quad 1 win for the Lobos.
Number of games: The NCAA limits the number of games a team can play to 29 unless it participates in an MTE (Multi-Team Exemption), which allows for two more games, and the maximum number of games in a regular season prior to a conference tournament is 31.
The Robles hosted their own MTE on Thanksgiving, which allowed them to schedule 31 games, but lost two due to NMSU cancellations.
Towns played in two Hall of Fame Classics (MTEs) in Kansas City, Missouri, Nov. 21-22 (they beat Northern Iowa State and Wichita State), but still only has 30 games left. Schedule, and it is open to add games.
In both cases, instead of augmenting the game for the sake of playing, both teams wanted a game that would boost computer ratings, meaning it couldn’t just be against non-tier one opponents or low-rated opponents.
Vegas, baby: With the Mountain West’s uneven 18-game schedule, the only league opponent the Lobos haven’t played on the road this season is UNLV, making the San Francisco showdown their only trip to Sin City ahead of the Mountain West Conference Championship. . UNM didn’t play at least one regular-season game in Las Vegas, Nevada last season, 1975-76.
