Friday, November 20th, 10:15 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: The Pit (18,018) -- Albuquerque, New Mexico. Television: Local. Home Record: Nicholls State 0-0, New Mexico 1-0. Away Record: Nicholls State 0-2, New Mexico 1-0. Neutral Record: Nicholls State 0-0, New Mexico 0-0. Conference Record: Nicholls State 0-0, New Mexico 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: The New Mexico Lobos assume the role of host in the Basketball Travelers World Vision Classic, when they entertain the Nicholls State Colonels in a non-conference game at The Pit. It's the first meeting between the two schools. The four-team round-robin tournament continues through Sunday and also includes Miami-Ohio and Louisiana Tech.

The Colonels might be better named the Road Warriors. Nicholls State is playing its first eight games on the road and won't play on its home court until December 3rd. The Colonels dropped a 92-60 decision at Houston on Tuesday in their last outing to fall to 0-3 on the young season.

New Mexico is back home after a high-flying 97-87 win at arch-rival New Mexico State in its last game on Tuesday. With the win, the team moved to 2-0 on the year.

Sophomore guard Fred Hunter led Nicholls State with 24 points, the fifth time in his career he's gone over the 20-point mark. Freshman forward Phillip Ward added 20 points, but it wasn't enough in the loss to Houston. Hunter, who was the Freshman of the Year in the Southland Conference last season, is leading the Colonels in scoring at 18 ppg. He's also tops in rebounding at 7.5 rpg. Junior swingman Anatoly Bose is next on the scoring list a 13.5 ppg and is pulling down 5.0 rpg. Ward is also in double figures at 10.0 ppg. Nicholls State has struggled defensively so far this season, giving up 88.5 points per game. The Colonels' opponents are shooting 50.4 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Colonels are struggling themselves from outside the arc, connecting at just a 23.7 percent rate. They're also averaging 19 turnovers a game.

The Lobos saw a 19-point second-half lead disappear and found themselves having to overcome a four-point deficit before coming back for the win over the Aggies. Philip McDonald scored 27 points to lead New Mexico, while Roman Martinez added 24 points and nine rebounds. Darington Hobson provided 17 points and Dairese Gray 14. Martinez, a senior forward, is leading the Lobos in scoring at 21.0 ppg. He's hitting 53.8 percent from the floor and 53.3 percent on three-pointers. Hobson, a junior swingman is averaging 16.5 ppg and is also the team's leading rebounder (7.0 rpg) and assists man (11). McDonald is averaging 15.0 ppg in his sophomore season. The Lobos are an efficient 47.2 percent from the floor as a team and 41.7 percent from three-point range.

The Colonels will leave The Pit with lasting memories but they won't necessarily be pleasant ones. Look for the Lobos to provide plenty of highlight moments for the home crowd.

Sports Network Predicted Result: New Mexico 92, Nicholls State 68