New Mexico Lobos vs. Wyoming Cowboys: Series Preview, How To Watch, Odds, More
Lobos look to get just their second win in conference, while Wyoming aims to hold steady in 8th place.
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The two teams are a combined 5-17 in their last 11 contests in a game hosted at the 10th place Air Force Falcons.
WHO: New Mexico Lobos (5-11, 1-11 MW) vs. Wyoming Cowboys (10-9, 4-8 MW)
WHEN: Game 1: Wednesday, February 17th 6:00 PM MT
Game 2: Friday, February 19th 7:00 PM MT
WHERE: Clune Arena – Colorado Springs, CO
TV: Game 1: None | Game 2: CBS Sports Network
Stream: Game 1: TheMW.com | Game 2 can be seen for free on FuboTV with a seven-day trial
RADIO: TuneIn
Line: Wyoming -6
SERIES RECORD: New Mexico leads 75-68
It’s the third “home” court the New Mexico Lobos have hosted a game this season. None of them have been “The Pit”, the beloved and iconic venue within whos walls the Lobos hold a winning percentage of around 81%.
For the Wednesday/Friday series between the New Mexico Lobos and the Wyoming Cowboys, this time it is Clune Arena that the Lobos will call home prior to playing the Air Force Falcons on the same floor as the away team just three days later.
Unfortunately for New Mexico, while the oft-touted “A mile high and louder than. . . ” slogan that would appear before games at the New Mexico Arena will still hold true (Clune Arena sits at just over 7,000 feet), this home court isn’t exactly the Pit.
In fact Wyoming and Air Force are the only two programs in the Mountain West that can shrug off the arena’s mile-high claim with elevations nearly 2,000 feet higher, and it would be a quite a forgettable season for New Mexico if it weren’t for the unforgettable circumstances surrounding the unusual 2020-21 college basketball season.
And so the last four regular season games go for two teams that have not fared well this late in the season. With a combined 5 wins in their last 22 games (11 for each team), the Lobos and Cowboys need any momentum they can grasp as the ’20-’21 regular season comes to a close and the Mountain West Conference Tournament awaits.
With only seeding on the line, each team has an opportunity to move a little as they both enter what is arguably their easiest stretch of the conference season. And at this point, either team could finish much more respectably in conference than their current record allows. Two consecutive sweeps could put New Mexico as high as 8th in the standings, while Wyoming could finish far better with the same result.
For New Mexico, the path is certainly less clear to finish the season 4-0. Uncertainty surrounding available players of late has made a difficult job of projecting who will play, much less who can/will start. Either way, lone senior Makuach Maluach (14.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists per game) will need help if New Mexico is to pick up another win or two.
For Wyoming, stable presence Hunter Maldonado (12.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists per game) and the fantastic freshman Marcus Williams (15.9 points, 4.2 assists, 1.1 steals per game) will likely need to continue making things run as smoothly as possible for another young team in the conference.
