2025 NCAA TOURNAMENT: MU, UNM set to lock up in The Land
CLEVELAND - There is no more talk.
No more ‘what ifs’ on being left out.
What seed are you?
It’s put up or shut up for the UNM men’s basketball team.
The Lobos – winners of the 2025 Mountain West Conference regular-season championship, MWC Player of the Year and MWC Coach of the Year – scuffle with Marquette in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Rocket Arena.
“We're not here just to be here,” Donovan Dent said.
UNM (26-7, 17-3 MWC) earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Dent, the leader and the MWC Player of the Year averaged 20 points and six assists a game this season.
He’s the only player in the country to do so.
“Dent is a heck of a player,” Marquette head men’s basketball coach Shaka Smart. “I told the guys when we first started introducing New Mexico - understand this - he averages more points per game than Kam (Jones) and more assists per game, in a league that's comparable.”
Marquette has a stellar point guard of its own in Jones.
Jones, voted Second-Team All-American leads the Golden Eagles. He averages 19.3 points and 5.9 assists per game.
Smart said he doesn’t want to rely on or put too much pressure on Jones, which has led to his and Marquette’s success.
“Kam has got a lot going on up there. A lot. But he's handled everything well,” Smart said.
However, the guards dictate the game but not the outcome.
It could be the play down low.
In the Big East Tournament Semifinals, St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor scored 33 points and shot 11-of-15 from the field.
The Red Storm rolled 79-63 and defeated Creighton to win the Big East Tournament.
Ejiofor had 17 against the Golden Eagles in an overtime win earlier in the season with St. John’s.
Enter Nelly Junior Joseph.
The All-Mountain West first-team selection – Joseph- is one of 11 players nationally averaging a double-double this season with 14 points and a MWC-leading 11.2 rebounds per game.
“I think Nelly Joseph is a big domino for Dent and the rest of the team,” Smart said. Dent is unquestionably the best player, but Nelly Joseph, man, I mean, the motor with which he plays and the way he impacts play on both ends of the floor is incredible.”
Marquette has only two players over 6-foot-9-inches.
Freshman center Joshua Clark is over 7 feet, but hasn’t seen any minutes in 2024-25.
Ben Gold is 6-foot-11-inches and is the Golden Eagles starting center.
Gold averages about 25 minutes a game with 7.3 points and over five rebounds.
Pitino said Nelly’s been invaluable to the Lobos in his two seasons.
“Love him. He's certainly had a great year,” Pitino said. “But just as a person, he's one of my favorites. He's so loyal. He's easy to be around. He's a really good player.”
The winner between Marquette and UNM will advance to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday to play the winner of Michigan State and Bryant. Game time and TV network for that contest in Cleveland will be announced Friday following the conclusion of the first-round games.
NEXT UP: No. 10 New Mexico Lobos vs. No. 10 Marquette
Time: Friday, 5:25 p.m.
Location: Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio
Listen: Lobo Radio Network (96.3 FM/770 AM)
Watch: TBS
Betting info: Spread: Marquette -3.5, O/U 151, Money Line: UNM +145 (Consensus Odds from Action Network)
HISTORY: UNM and Marquette have played once. It was a 75-68 Lobos’ victory in Las Vegas during the 2013-14 season.
