If March – be it in the NCAA Tournament or the NIT – is all about matchups, the Lobos didn’t exactly get gifted a great one for their Wednesday return to postseason play after a nine-year hiatus.
The Lobos are grateful to be playing in the NIT, earning a No. 2 seed in the 32-team tournament run by the NCAA, but what they do best is what their opponent — WAC champion Utah Valley (25-8) — does best, too, presenting a classic strength vs. strength sort of battle.
But nobody expected it to be easy.
“I know the regular season is much different than the postseason,” said Lobo junior guard, and Mountain West leading scorer, Jamal Mashburn, Jr.