When the annual home-and-home rivalry with New Mexico State was canceled this season, the Lobo men’s basketball team had some options.
Just move on, not replace the games; add at least one home game against a non-Division I opponent to get back at least some of the lost concessions and ticket revenue; or choose the path with greatest resistance and find a team good enough in the computer ratings to provide a potential quality win opportunity that might help an NCAA Tournament résumé down the road.
The Lobos, still undefeated at the time, chose the latter, signing on to host a Monday night game against Oral Roberts — a 13-3 squad carrying a 10-game winning streak into the Pit and boasting one of college basketball’s great scorers in decades.