CEDAR CITY, Utah. The Southern Utah men's basketball program is hot off one of the most successful seasons in program history and is ready to take the Western Athletic Conference by storm this campaign. The Thunderbirds begin their 2022-23 edition with a road trip to New Mexico to face the Lobos on Monday, Nov. 7.
Game Info
Southern Utah vs. New Mexico
Date: Monday, November 7
Tipoff: 7 p.m. MT
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Broadcast: Mountain West Network
Coach Simon Says...
"New Mexico is among the better teams in the Mountain West under a great coach in Richard Pitino. They return a lot of productive players and playing in the historic pit is always a challenge."
Preview
Southern Utah
The Thunderbirds are coming off one of their most successful campaigns in program history as head coach Todd Simon leads SUU into his seventh season at the helm. The T-Birds completed last year with a 23-12 overall record including a 14-6 mark in their final season under the Big Sky Conference banner.
Last season, SUU successfully made it to the semifinals of The Basketball Classic, having earned the right to compete in the postseason with its second 20-win season in a row. That's the first time SUU has ever gone back-to-back with 20-win campaigns in its NCAA Division I history. The 23 wins are the second-most in program history and were the most ever during SUU's time in the Big Sky.
Southern Utah has the opportunity to prove itself heading into its inaugural season in the Western Athletic Conference. The 'Birds were picked to finish ninth in the preseason WAC poll. Meanwhile, senior guard Tevian Jones was named to the preseason All-WAC First Team, while senior forward Maizen Fausett picked up a Second Team nod.
Jones averaged more than 14 points a game last year, including a team-best 36 points against Portland State. Fausett netted nearly 12 points per game last season while also pacing the squad with 267 rebounds. He also stood third on the team in blocks with 13 rejections.
New Mexico
The Lobos put together an 85-53 victory against Colorado State Pueblo in a preseason exhibition competition on Oct. 29.
The Lobos were led by four players scoring in double digits. Jaelen House led all scorers with 20 points, while Donovan Dent (16), Jamal Mashburn Jr. (11) and Josiah Allick (10) also broke into double figures in the contest. Overall, New Mexico shot 50 percent, while also connecting on 56.3 percent of its shots from beyond the three-point arc.
Mashburn Jr. and House are returning All-Mountain West performers, while the squad was picked to finish fifth in the conference in the preseason Mountain West poll.
History
Southern Utah holds a 1-3 record against the Lobos since commencing the series in 1999. SUU picked up a 69-57 victory in 2002, and last met New Mexico in 2007. This will be the fifth time the Thunderbirds have traveled to The Pit as SUU has never faced the Lobos either at home or on a neutral court.
Follow Us
Stay up to date during the 2022-23 Southern Utah Men's Basketball season by following @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Basketball page on Facebook.
Tickets
Head on over to our online ticket store to purchase season, package and single-game tickets!
