New Mexico
Crowd, Urgency, Response: New Mexico Faces Boise State at Home in the PIT
photo courtesy of UNM Athletics
Lobos Look to Respond at The Pit
Game: Boise State Broncos vs New Mexico Lobos
Date: Saturday, February 7, 2026
Location: The Pit in Albuquerque, NM
Radio: 77Kob Lobo Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Rob Portnoy, Hunter Greene
The Pit is where the New Mexico Lobos (18-5) will try to defeat the Boise State Broncos (14-9) on Saturday.
Saturday night at The Pit isn’t just another conference game for the New Mexico Lobos—it’s a chance to respond.
Lobos look to get back to their PIT Winning Ways
The Pit has been a fortress for New Mexico all season, but Wednesday night was a reminder that nothing comes easy in the Mountain West.
After seeing a 23-game home winning streak end against conference-leading Utah State, the New Mexico Lobos return to their home court Saturday night with something to prove as they face a hot Boise State team.
With the Mountain West race tightening and March approaching, this feels less like a bounce-back chance and more like a statement moment.
For a team that has thrived on energy, pace, and crowd momentum, how the Lobos respond may reveal as much about their postseason readiness as any win this season.
After their 23-game home winning streak was broken earlier this week by conference-leading Utah State, New Mexico returns home looking to bounce back against a hot Boise State team they lost to earlier in the season.
As the Mountain West race becomes more competitive and each game grows more crucial, the Lobos realize that their margin for error is shrinking if they hope to make a postseason appearance in the Big Dance in March.
New Mexico enters the matchup after winning eight of its last 10 games, while Boise State comes in riding the momentum of five wins in its last six.
Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. at The Pit, with the game broadcast on CBS Sports Network and the Lobo Radio Network.
Boise State enters the matchup after a 91-87 win over Nevada, relying on efficient offense and strong guard play.
The Broncos shot over 50 percent from the field and made clutch free-throw shots, with Dylan Andrews leading with 25 points.
The win marked another step forward for a Boise State team that has won five of its last six games and has now returned to .500 in Mountain West play.
Meanwhile, New Mexico aims to bounce back after an 86-66 loss to Utah State on Wednesday night at The Pit.
The Lobos had trouble finding an offensive rhythm and couldn’t stop the Aggies’ scoring efficiency, despite Tomislav Buljan’s 17-point effort.
Still, New Mexico remains one of the league’s most balanced teams, averaging over 80 points per game while ranking among the Mountain West’s top defensive units.
The Lobos (18-5, 9-3 MW) are back home with purpose after Wednesday’s loss to Utah State ended one of the nation’s longest active home winning streaks.
Despite the setback, New Mexico still stays in the Mountain West title race and knows that defending The Pit is crucial as the season winds down.
Freshman sharpshooter Jake Hall continues to be a major story, leading the Mountain West with 70 made three-pointers—the most by any freshman in the country.
With New Mexico’s speed, intensity, and defensive strength, the Lobos remain one of the league’s most tough opponents—especially at home in Albuquerque.
Boise State (14-9, 6-6 MW) heads into The Pit playing its best basketball of the season. After a rough 1-5 start in conference play, the Broncos have regrouped and returned to .500 in the Mountain West.
Led by Drew Fielder, averaging 13.3 points per game, Boise State relies on tough defense, rebounding, and half-court plays.
The Broncos also draw confidence from their 62-53 win over New Mexico in the first meeting on December 30 in Boise.
New Mexico: Jake Hall’s shooting stretches defenses, but the Lobos’ guard play and transition offense will be key as they aim to play with urgency and energy.
Boise State: Drew Fielder leads the Broncos’ offense, while their ability to control the pace and limit second-chance opportunities will be tested inside The Pit.
Response and Energy: How New Mexico reacts after Wednesday’s loss could set the tone early.
Tempo Control: The Lobos want speed; Boise State wants structure.
Home-Court Edge: New Mexico maintains a 9-4 all-time record at The Pit, where few teams leave comfortably.
The all-time series is tied at 15-15, showing how evenly matched these teams have been. While Boise State won the first meeting this season, winning in Albuquerque has always been a much tougher task.
Boise State’s recent streak makes this a tough challenge, but New Mexico’s urgency, perimeter shooting, and home-court advantage should drive a strong comeback.
Expect a very physical game before the Lobos create separation late.
Prediction: New Mexico rebounds at The Pit and remains strongly in the Mountain West title race.
Following Saturday’s matchup, the Lobos head to Phoenix for a midweek non-conference road game at Grand Canyon on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m., with coverage on FS1.
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Some call the multi-million-dollar El Camino Real Heritage Center an architectural masterpiece. Others, however, call it one of New Mexico’s most expensive blunders. In 2021, former Speaker of the House Don Tripp weighed in on the project, “As far as benefit, it really didn’t have any benefit to anybody.”
Taxpayers paid more than $4,000,000 to build it, a few million dollars more to operate it and, now, a half million to tear it down.
The El Camino Real Heritage Center is a history museum dedicated to the historic ‘Royal Road of the Interior’. Established by Spanish conquistadores in 1598, the historic byway extended from Mexico City to north of Santa Fe. Armed with $4,000,000 from the state legislature and the Bureau of Land Management, consultants were hired to find the best place to build the new museum. After studying various locations, they chose a remote spot on the prairie 37 miles south of Socorro.
The experts said, ‘build halfway between Socorro and Truth or Consequences,’ and the museum will draw 100,000 visitors a year, bring in $10,000,000 to the region, and create 174 new jobs. Back in 2004, no one raised a red flag about putting a tourist attraction in an out-of-the-way location. It was only after construction was complete that officials learned the so-called experts were dead wrong. The project was doomed to fail before it even opened its doors. “Who the heck thought it was a good idea to build it where they built it?” State Rep. Gail Armstrong told KRQE News 13 last year.
The state’s newest museum opened in 2005. An estimated crowd of 2000 turned out for the dedication ceremony. Socorro Mayor Ravi Bhasker was there. “We had Bill Richardson out there cutting the ribbon, and then we had the Vice President of Spain come down here with his beautiful wife, and we had dignitaries everywhere. It was exciting,” Mayor Bhasker said.
But the excitement was short-lived. Where the historic El Camino Real trail was in use for three centuries, the museum with its namesake lasted just eleven years. The remote location meant few visitors, meager revenue, inadequate staffing, expensive utilities, and maintenance.
In 2016, New Mexico’s Cultural Affairs Department pulled the plug on the El Camino Real Heritage Center, padlocked the doors, and permanently closed the museum. The parking lot is deserted, tourists are gone, artifacts are packed away, display cases vacant, exhibits dismantled, interpretive panels removed, and the gift shop is bare. All there is to show for millions of tax dollars is an abandoned building on the prairie.
“Eleven years is disgraceful. There was a real failure in this particular project,” the late State Senator John Arthur Smith said in a 2021 interview. We asked the retired Senate Finance Committee Chair, when the history of this project is written, what will it say? “They’re going to shake their head and (use this as) another example of government waste,” the retired Senator Smith said in 2021.
So what do you do with a $4,000,000 deserted building in the middle of nowhere? Time and vandals have taken a toll. The museum was closed and boarded up in 2016, and then state officials abandoned the site. Because little effort was made to secure the empty building, it is no longer habitable. Copper wiring has been stolen. There is significant structural damage, mold, a rodent infestation, and no electricity or lights. Most of the HVAC, electrical, plumbing, water, and septic systems are either obsolete or inoperable.
Faced with a whopping $3.5 million repair bill, the Museum of New Mexico’s Board of Regents made the difficult decision last year to demolish the building. Board of Regent’s President, Dr. George Goldstein, calls the building, “A loss, a huge loss.”
“What a complete waste of taxpayer dollars,” says State Rep. Gail Armstrong who’s District 49 includes the museum site. And what did taxpayers get for their $4,000,000 investment? “Nothing. It just cost them a ton of money. Nothing,” Representative Armstrong said.
This week, a state-hired demolition crew began the task of tearing down the museum complex. Tons of concrete, steel, and glass will be hauled away. The parking lot and nearby caretaker’s house will also be ripped out. The prairie will be graded, reseeded with native plants, and returned to the Bureau of Land Management in restored, pristine condition. The demolition project is expected to take four months.
The El Camino Real museum was planned and built during the Governor Bill Richardson administration. All of the State Legislators involved in the funding of the museum project have since left government service.
Soon, the El Camino Real International Heritage Center will be just a bitter memory. All clues to the existence of a pricey government blunder will have been erased. Pay a visit to the remote spot south of Socorro later this fall, and all you will find will be desert creosote, prairie dogs, and a few rattlesnakes.
CLOVIS, New Mexico (KVII) — A baby giraffe was born at the Hillcrest Park Zoo in Clovis.
The city announced a male calf was born around 1 a.m. Thursday to Jerrica, a Rothschild giraffe who has lived at the zoo since she was born there in January 2012.
Zoo officials said Jerrica, a first-time mother, and her calf are doing well.
Baby giraffe born at the Hillcrest Park Zoo in Clovis, New Mexico on July 9, 2026 (Credit: Hillcrest Park Zoo )
The calf will make his public debut from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment you won’t want to miss! Bring your family, your camera, and your excitement as we welcome the zoo’s newest (and tallest!) superstar!” said the zoo.
Because the calf is male, he will eventually be moved from Hillcrest Park Zoo to another zoo or facility, according to the city.
The zoo plans to ask the public to help name the calf in the coming weeks.
-
Nevada4 minutes agoFederal lawsuit alleges years of sexual abuse inside Nevada juvenile detention facilities
-
New Hampshire10 minutes agoMissing Berlin Motorcyclist Found Dead After Route 2 Crash: New Hampshire State Police Roundup
-
New Jersey16 minutes agoMorris County, Kirby Foundation award $12 million. See who benefits
-
New Mexico22 minutes agoNew Mexico’s multi-million dollar blunder ends up a pile of rubble
-
North Carolina28 minutes ago‘It’s problematic’: Copper wire theft on the rise across North Carolina, AT&T warns
-
North Dakota34 minutes agoFargo Wrestling 2026 Day 4 Junior Greco-Roman Results, Brackets – FloWrestling
-
Ohio40 minutes agoJoel Klatt believes Ohio State vs. Texas loser is ‘behind the 8-ball’
-
Oklahoma46 minutes agoFarmers, environmental group react to Oklahoma poultry litter settlement
