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Playing like a team stuck in the mud and distracted by a week’s worth of news off the court, the Lobos needed the largest comeback in the Richard Pitino era to avoid an upset bid at home, beating 18-point underdog San Jose State 83-77 in the Mountain West Conference opener.

After an alleged physical altercation involving a scholarship player and one of the team’s walk-ons on a flight to Palm Springs, Calif., last week, the University of New Mexico has been decidedly tight-lipped about the specifics of the incident.

New Mexico football coach Bronco Mendenhall said Tuesday the day is coming when his program will need a GM, or perhaps separate entities to make executive decisions and another to manage the payouts.

UNM's defense failed to slow Hawaii, which racked up 590 total yards of offense.

Fast forward three months and here we are, on the verge of a remarkable turnaround that leaves Mendenhall and the Lobos one win shy of bowl eligibility.

The Lobos faded down the stretch of an opening-round game against Arizona State of the Acrisure Classic. UNM surrendered a pair of critical 3-pointers on consecutive possessions in the final two minutes as the Sun Devils rallied for an 85-82 win.

The future of college sports has arrived and, by all accounts, basketball teams from one coast to the other would be wise to find where they’ll eventually fit in.

Coach Richard Pitino doesn't want Lobo fans getting used to the idea of simultaneously starting both starting center Nelly Junior Joseph and backup Atiki Ally Atiki.

Tru Washington played a big role in leading the University of New Mexico basketball team to a 99-68 rout of Texas Southern. It was the Lobos' final pre-Thanksgiving tuneup before heading to California for its annual multi-team nonconference appearance.

UNM president Garnett Stokes announced Sunday the school has appointed University of Texas athletics administrator Fernando Lovo as its new sports boss. He’ll officially take over Dec. 1, replacing Eddie Nuñez.

The Lobos lived off of turnovers, which in turn kicked up the defensive intensity and keyed an 80-58 nonconference win in The Pit. 

Coach Richard Pitino didn’t commit to putting CJ Noland in the starting five, saying it was more of a matchup situation against St. John’s than a pure benching of Filip Borovicanin.

Mendenhall has worked a minor miracle by getting the Lobos into a position of playing meaningful games in November, of getting his team on national television and refusing to quit when falling behind by two touchdowns to a nationally ranked team.

The goalposts — they remained upright, standing firm in the knowledge that one of these days there might actually be enough fans in the building to uproot their existence and carry them into the parking lot.

Madison Square Garden will play host to the New Mexico Lobos and serve as the backdrop to the Pitino family reunion. Richard Pitino and his unbeaten Lobos program visits his old man, Rick Pitino, and his nationally ranked St. John’s Red Storm.

The Lobos used a 13-1 run with star center Nelly Junior Joseph on the bench in the final 16 minutes to put the finishing touches on their 100-81 cakewalk against visiting Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

The Lobos, who beat UCLA on Friday, will take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday in The Pit before heading to New York City on Sunday to play St. John's in Madison Square Garden.

At 4-6 overall, they need wins in their final two games to get to the magical six-win plateau to secure a postseason bid. That means taking the first step with a win Saturday against No. 19 Washington State.

Nelly Junior Joseph posted a double-double, the bench produced quality minutes and the Lobos (2-0) got a signature win in the first week of the season by beating No. 22 UCLA 72-64.

Eli Sanders rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns while Devon Dampier added 127 yards on the ground and another 175 passing, leading UNM to a 21-16 road win at San Diego State on Friday night.

UNM (1-0) will take on No. 22 UCLA in the Vegas Hoopfest for a 9 p.m. tipoff. It’s the first of two high-profile games over nine days. The other is a Nov. 17 stop at Madison Square Garden and a game against St. John’s.

UNM was torched by visiting Nicholls for 15 made 3-pointers but had more than enough offense in the form of Nelly Junior Joseph & Co. in a 91-84 win.

The miscues by Devon Dampier offset an otherwise record-setting day for the sophomore. 

Richard said his dad's players looked over at him wondering if the ol' man had lost his mind, giving up trade secrets to a guy who'll see them in person Nov. 17.

The starters looked good, nearly everyone got to play and, of course, there were plenty of sloppy sets and a handful of ooohs and ahhhs. In the end, the Lobos beat UTEP 74-70 in the exhibition opener in The Pit.

UNM's Richard Pitino acknowledges the challenges posted by NIL deals, frantic transfer portal activity and the fracturing of the Mountain West Conference. 

For once in this perpetually moribund program, there is reason to be excited — maybe even believe this might be the start of the long-awaited turnaround. And it could very well be. 

Heading into a season with expectations as high as they’ve been in more than a decade, the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team is already starting with a target on its back.

Rep. Jenifer Jones, R-Deming, and Rep. Andrea Reeb, R-Clovis, voiced their concern for UNM players' safety after it was revealed that a player on the San Jose State team is transgender.