The 2010-11 U. New Mexico men’s basketball schedule was released last week. The 31-game season includes notable contests against California, Texas Tech, Southern Illinois, NMSU and Dayton.
“This is the year for us, and this will be the most difficult schedule we’ve had at New Mexico,” head coach Steve Alford said. “We have a lot of new, young guys on the team this season, which is a cause for concern, but we need to continue to upgrade our nonconference schedule to be prepared for a tough conference season.”
The Lobos open the regular season Nov. 13 against Detroit, a game that will culminate in a weeklong celebration to the grand reopening of the Pit.
The Lobos will have the opportunity to show off the renovated Pit 17 times during the season, including two exhibition and seven nonconference games before jumping to the defense of their 2009 and 2010 MWC championship titles. The $60 million renovation is nearing completion after more than 16 months of work.
The Lobos will be tested early and often during their nonconference schedule. The Lobos face six teams from BCS conferences and have back-to-back games against the Pac-10, at home against Arizona State on Nov. 16 and four days later on the road against California. California lost to Duke in the NCAA tournament second round last year.
UNM will host San Diego on Nov. 28 before traveling to Carbondale, Ill., where it will face Southern Illinois in the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge.
The Rio Grande Rivalry with New Mexico State will start in Las Cruces on Dec. 4 and move to the Pit on Dec. 11. UNM leads the series 110-94 and has won the last five meetings.
The Lobos will return a young roster that includes five sophomores and four freshmen. Guard Dairese Gary is the lone senior for UNM. Fans will have to wait until after the fall semester to see 6-foot-9-inch forward, UCLA transfer, Drew Gordon.
“We’ll play our first nine games without Gordon, before he becomes eligible at the end of the semester,” Alford said. “That will give our young guys a great opportunity to get some experience.”
Gordon should be on the court Dec. 22 against Colorado – one of four games in the Las Vegas Classic.
The Lobos will host the first two games of the Classic against Longwood and the Citadel before they travel to Las Vegas to play Colorado and, depending on the outcome, they will play either Indiana or Northern Iowa.
Indiana is Alford’s alma mater and the school where he won a national championship in 1987.
After the Las Vegas Classic, the Lobos go on the road to play Texas Tech on Dec. 29. They’re on the road on New Year’s Day in a game against Dayton, and close the nonconference schedule at home on Jan. 5 against Cal State Bakersfield.
The Lobos begin the climb to their third MWC championship with the 16-game conference schedule, and all 16 games are televised on CBSC, The Mtn. or VERSUS.
“It will be very tough for us to get a third title in a row,” Alford said. “The league is very strong this year, and it will not be easy for us to repeat.”