{"id":187045,"date":"2026-02-21T03:25:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T03:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/187045\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T03:25:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T03:25:14","slug":"march-mindset-lobos-face-crucial-road-test-in-fresno","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/187045\/","title":{"rendered":"March Mindset: Lobos Face Crucial Road Test in Fresno"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lobos face the Bulldogs on the Road in Fresno<\/p>\n

How to Watch: CBS Sports Network
Tip-off: 6:00 PM MST \/ 5:00 PM PST<\/p>\n

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026<\/p>\n

Location: Save Mart Center in Fresno, CA<\/p>\n

Radio: Lobo Radio Network \/ 99.9 FM The Fan (Rob Portnoy & Hunter Greene)<\/p>\n

Prediction: New Mexico is the favorite with a deeper lineup and good momentum. But Fresno State has shown they\u2019re tough to beat at home. Expect a physical late-February conference game that might be decided in the final moments.<\/p>\n

The New Mexico Lobos men\u2019s basketball hit the road Saturday night to open a two-game trip with a Mountain West matchup against the Fresno State Bulldogs men\u2019s basketball at the Save Mart Center.<\/p>\n

Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. MT (5:00 p.m. PT), with national coverage on CBS Sports Network and local broadcast on the Lobo Radio Network.<\/p>\n

New Mexico (20-6, 11-4 MW) enters the contest seeking its fourth consecutive road victory, riding the momentum of a dominant 98-61 win over Air Force at The Pit on Tuesday. Freshman standout Jake Hall paces the Lobos at 15.8 points per game and has already set the Mountain West freshman record with 81 three-pointers this season.<\/p>\n

Fresno State (12-14, 6-9 MW) has been tough at home, winning four of its last five at the Save Mart Center. The Bulldogs are coming off a 92-82 road loss at Wyoming and are led offensively by Jake Heidbreder, who averages 17.5 points per game.<\/p>\n

As the Mountain West standings tighten, this road game is about more than just winning \u2014 it\u2019s about holding onto their spot and boosting their NCAA Tournament chances.<\/p>\n

Most projections show that only two Mountain West teams are safely in the NCAA Tournament. That means there\u2019s little room for mistakes. Eric Olen\u2019s Lobos know that one slip could hurt their NET ranking and their chances at a top-three seed.<\/p>\n

New Mexico is in a tight race near the top of the conference and can\u2019t afford to lose games they\u2019re supposed to win.<\/p>\n

After a 98\u201361 win over Air Force, the Lobos seem to be finding their rhythm. Olen has focused on steady improvement, getting a bit better each game, and it\u2019s showing.<\/p>\n

Against the Falcons, the ball moved smoothly, the defense stayed active, and several players contributed to the scoring instead of relying on just one.<\/p>\n

But winning in Fresno has rarely been easy. The Bulldogs have a history of making things uncomfortable for visiting teams, and with the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas (March 7\u201314) approaching, they\u2019re motivated to climb the standings and play spoiler if needed.<\/p>\n

Round Two: Adjustments After the Pit<\/p>\n

When the teams met on January 21 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, won 83\u201374 thanks to their depth and steady play. Jake Hall led the Lobos with 16 points, and several others stepped up with key contributions.<\/p>\n

Fresno State, however, took heart from DeShawn Gory\u2019s breakout game. He scored 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, using his strength inside to keep the Bulldogs close.<\/p>\n

If Fresno State wants to change the outcome this time, they\u2019ll likely need another big night from Gory and to slow down a Lobos offense that nearly scored 100 points earlier this week.<\/p>\n

Perimeter Battle
Antonio Chol just scored 20 points and has been shooting confidently. Fresno State\u2019s Jake Heidbreder averages 17.5 points per game and can heat up quickly from three-point range. The guard who gets going early could change the momentum.<\/p>\n

Rebounding and Tempo
New Mexico prides itself on bringing \u201cThe Pit mentality\u201d on the road by attacking the boards and turning rebounds into fast breaks.<\/p>\n

The Lobos controlled the paint in the first game, but if Fresno State can win the rebounding battle with Gory\u2019s help, they can slow the pace and limit UNM\u2019s fast-break chances.<\/p>\n

This game has all the makings of a late-season Mountain West battle. Fresno State will try to control the tempo and force New Mexico into a half-court offense. The Lobos will rely on their depth and recent good form to pull ahead.<\/p>\n

On paper, New Mexico has the advantage. But February conference road games are rarely easy. If it\u2019s close in the last five minutes, calmness, smart shot choices, and key defensive stops will decide the winner.<\/p>\n

For the Lobos, the goal is clear: take care of business, protect their spot, and keep building toward March. Every win counts if they want a real shot at the conference title and a return to the Big Dance.<\/p>\n

Fresno State enters the matchup at 12\u201314 overall and has been inconsistent on the offensive end this season. The Bulldogs are shooting 44.6% from the field, a mark that sits in the lower half nationally.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re averaging 74.0 points per game (1,925 total on the year) while pulling down 34.8 rebounds per contest. Ball movement has been steady but not spectacular at 13.3 assists per game, and turnovers have been an issue at 13.1 per outing.<\/p>\n

Fresno State also averages 17 personal fouls per game and shoots a respectable 74.4% from the free-throw line.<\/p>\n

Defensively, the Bulldogs give up 72.6 points per game, placing them in the middle of Division I. They force 13.6 turnovers per contest but allow opponents to shoot 44.1% from the field.<\/p>\n

From beyond the arc, Fresno State holds teams to 29.7% shooting, one of its stronger defensive areas, though opponents convert 72.5% of their free throws.<\/p>\n

The Bulldogs are surrendering 13.4 assists and 34.7 rebounds per game, numbers that suggest they can be tested on the glass and with consistent ball movement.<\/p>\n

New Mexico comes into this contest with a 20-6 record on the season. The Lobos are averaging 81.5 points per game, ranking 69th nationally, while shooting 46.3% from the field.<\/p>\n

From beyond the arc, they connect on 36.6% of their attempts (253 of 692), and they\u2019re converting 74.4% of free throws.<\/p>\n

On the glass, New Mexico is pulling down 36.6 rebounds per game as a team and has dished out 392 assists, placing them 134th in the country in team passing.<\/p>\n

The Lobos are careful with the ball, turning it over just 10.9 times per game, though they commit 17.5 fouls each outing.<\/p>\n

Defensively, New Mexico is forcing 14.0 turnovers per game and drawing 19.0 fouls from opponents. They\u2019ve allowed 313 assists this season, ranking 68th nationally in opponents\u2019 passing.<\/p>\n

The Lobos are holding teams to 40.7% shooting from the field and surrendering 34.2 rebounds per game. Opponents are shooting 29.2% from three, and New Mexico ranks 67th in Division I in points allowed per game at 69.2.<\/p>\n

For New Mexico, this is the kind of game that defines a season. Good teams win at home \u2014 serious contenders win on the road in tough environments.<\/p>\n

If the Lobos can stay disciplined, handle the pressure, and close strong down the stretch, they\u2019ll not only strengthen their position in the Mountain West race but also continue proving they belong in the NCAA Tournament conversation.<\/p>\n

Saturday night is another test \u2014 and another opportunity to show they\u2019re built for March.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lobos face the Bulldogs on the Road in Fresno How to Watch: CBS Sports NetworkTip-off: 6:00 PM MST…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":187046,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113,44135,72463],"class_list":["post-187045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news","tag-mountain-west-basketball","tag-new-mexico-basketball"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187045"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187045\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}