NMSU and UNM men’s basketball teams ready for return of Rio Grande Rivalry
LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KTSM) – The New Mexico State and New Mexico men’s basketball teams will meet on the hardwood for the first Rio Grande Rivalry game in 726 days. NMSU and UNM will face off at ‘The Pit’ in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Saturday night.
The last time the Aggies and Lobos’ men’s basketball teams played against each other was Dec. 6, 2021. New Mexico State won that game, 78-76, in overtime thanks to a Nate Pryor buzzer beater.
Here's the final play of the game, Nate Pryor makes a lay-up at the buzzer for New Mexico State to beat New Mexico 78-76 in OT.
⁰Some controversy postgame, Aggies were taunting the crowd; teams did not shake hands. Eddie Nunez (UNM AD) was involved getting NMSU off the court. pic.twitter.com/sZUIRZP6Eb— Colin Deaver (@ColinDeaverTV) December 7, 2021
The two Rio Grande Rivalry games between the men’s basketball programs for the 2022-23 season were cancelled after a shootout on UNM’s main campus on the morning of Nov. 19, 2022, left former NMSU hoops player Mike Peake injured and 19-year-old University of New Mexico student Brandon Travis dead.
The incident happened the same day of the first meeting of the 2022-23 season between the NMSU and UNM’s men’s basketball teams.
With all that now in the past, the New Mexico State and New Mexico men’s basketball programs are now looking forward to continuing the Rio Grande Rivalry as it enters a new chapter.
New Mexico State comes into Saturday’s meeting with a completely new looking squad. The team is now led by head coach Jason Hooten and all of his assistants on his staff are brand new to NMSU. The same can be said for the players on this year’s roster as all 13 of them are new to the NMSU men’s basketball program.
As for the New Mexico men’s basketball program, they had no role in the incidents last year and, just like New Mexico State, are ready to move forward with the historic in-state basketball rivalry.
“You know what happened last year, I know it’s a fair question by you and everyone else that’s involved, but it really doesn’t have any bearing on our program now,” NM State men’s basketball head coach Jason Hooten said. “We don’t have kids like that on our team and it’s just not something that I’m going to stand for in our program ever. We’re going over there to play a basketball game and not worry about anything else.”
“We certainly talk just about ‘okay, emotions are running high or whatever’ but we’re always going to act the way that we want our players to act in every game,” New Mexico men’s basketball head coach Richard Pitino said. “There’s two great fan bases and certainly it’s a great rivalry, so I am happy that it’s resuming.”
New Mexico State (4-5, 0-0 CUSA) and New Mexico (6-1, 0-0 Mountain West) will face off on Saturday at ‘The Pit’ in Albuquerque, New Mexico. According to the Albuquerque Journal, as of Thursday, 14,200 tickets (a near sellout) had been sold.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. MT. The game will stream on the Mountain West Network.
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