New Mexico pulls off upset of #8 BYU

#8 BYU (20-2, 6-1 MWC) followed up their win over #7 San Diego State (21-1, 6-1) with a loss at New Mexico (15-7, 3-4 MWC) on Saturday by a score of 86-77. Freshman Tony Snell hit 3 big shots for the Lobos down the stretch to help them pull away and send the sell-out crowd in Albuquerque into a frenzy. Snell and fellow freshman Kendall Williams each had 16 points for New Mexico.

Player of the Year candidate Jimmer Fredette of BYU led all scorers with 32 points, but seemed to wear down in the closing minutes, missing shots that I'm not used to seeing him miss. To be fair, Fredette still scored 32 points and still shot a very solid percentage. It may have just proved that Fredette is human after all, but I think fatigue did get to him a little bit. New Mexico was able to whether the storm of Fredette's and BYU's potent scoring attack and hang around in the game. Down the stretch, the Lobos were able to make the plays necessary to win.

The win was much needed for New Mexico, who perhaps played with a bit more desperation knowing they couldn't afford to drop another conference game. They also undoubtedly fed off the emotion from the crowd. The Lobos are still a bubble team when it comes to NCAA Tournament considerations, but this win certainly gives them a very much needed quality win that could help them on Selection Sunday. New Mexico will have to play a bit more consistently as the 2nd half of conference play approaches if they are going to feel good about their Tournament chances.

BYU is still a really good team that is a lock for the Tournament and at worst will finish second in the Mountain West this year. The Pit is a really tough place to play and a lot of teams lose there, so it's not a totally shocking loss. It really appears to be a two team race between them and San Diego State at this point, although Colorado State (15-6, 5-2 MWC) could make things a bit more interesting with a home win over the Aztecs on Wednesday (7 p.m. MT, CBS College Sports). BYU next plays at Wyoming (8-13, 1-6 MWC) on Wednesday at 6 p.m. MT on the Mtn. The Cowboys are coming off a 96-57 loss at SDSU on Saturday. New Mexico next plays tomorrow night at Air Force (12-8, 3-4 MWC) at 6 p.m. MT on the Mtn.