NCAA basketball rivalries: Ranking the top 25 college basketball rivalries

No. 22 – New Mexico Lobos vs. New Mexico St. Aggies

• All-Time Series: New Mexico leads 123-103

Similar to the last entry on this list, the “Rio Grande Rivalry,” the annual showdowns between the New Mexico Lobos and New Mexico St. Aggies, takes place twice a year even though the programs are in different conferences, a testament to how serious the people of New Mexico are about their college hoops, and how important this intrastate rivalry is.

The rivalry between the two schools in basketball goes back to 1894 when New Mexico took the first meeting. Since then, the rivalry has been mostly competitive, with each side enjoying stretches of dominance, only to have the tables turned and the dominance shift to the opposing side.

Recently, New Mexico St. held the advantage under coach Chris Jans, winning five in a row, only to have this past season once again flip the script with the Lobos taking both contests.

Game of Note: March 3, 1968 – NCAA Tournament West Regional Third Place Game – New Mexico St. def New Mexico 62-58

Fifty-two years ago, these programs met in the NCAA Tournament, as it was then constructed. Back then, only 23 teams participated in the tournament, and two happened to come from New Mexico. Each team lost its regional semifinal matchups, but that led to a battle in the West Region’s third-place game, where the Aggies held on to defeat the Lobos in a close contest.

1968 was a banner year for this rivalry, as the previous meeting between the schools in February was the only matchup between the programs where each was ranked, as New Mexico polled 6th and New Mexico St. 10th, and the Lobos scratched out a one-point victory in that contest.

History, competition, and intrastate pride make the Rio Grande Rivalry one to watch.