New Mexico coach Craig Neal used two words to describe his team’s level of desire to play Nevada again.
“Highly motivated,” Neal said.
That’s because Saturday’s showdown between Nevada and New Mexico is a rematch of one of the greatest comebacks in NCAA history. Nevada rallied from down 25 points in the second half, down 14 with 1:10 left and down nine with 49 seconds left last month to score a 105-104 overtime win over New Mexico in Albuquerque.
If the sting from that loss isn’t enough for New Mexico, this might be: First place in the Mountain West also will be on the line when the teams battle at 1 p.