New Mexico basketball looks to stamp their spot atop the Mountain West after some fellow contenders jump ship.
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: New Mexico basketball.
Conference realignment continues to be the defining off-season storyline among these high-major schools out west. For the last handful of years, the Lobos were in a large tier of Mountain West contenders, but that tier has shrunk following Utah State, Colorado State, and Boise State’s departure to the Pac-12.
As a result, New Mexico’s postseason outlook has shifted in many ways. In the past, 25+ wins have typically been sufficient to squeak into the NCAA Tournament at double-digit seed lines. Going forward, the Lobos must trade off strength of schedule with a greater opportunity to win their conference tournament. This is probably a net negative overall, but not quite doom and gloom.
Eric Olen’s first New Mexico team was defined by a trio of standout freshmen, and he was able to bring back two of them in 2026-27 — guards Jake Hall and Uriah Tenette. Many of his surrounding pieces were compiled through the transfer portal, and we will have to wait and see how that all clicks.
The key for the Lobos will be starting the non-conference strong, because the margin for error will be smaller in the new Mountain West. 22 regular season wins did not make the cut last year, and they would probably run into the same problem if they replicate that number this season.
Head coach: Eric Olen (7th season overall, 2nd at New Mexico)
2025-26 record: 26-11 (13-7)
2026 postseason finish: Lost in NIT Semifinals to Tulsa (74-69)
Notable departures:
- Tomislav Buljan (13.1 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.5 APG)
- Deyton Albury (11.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.0 APG)
- Luke Haupt (7.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.1 APG)
- Antonio Chol (7.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 0.8 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- at Santa Clara (Nov. 14)
- at Wichita State (Nov. 21)
- vs. Utah State (Nov. 29)
- vs. Saint Mary’s (Dec. 12)
Projected Rotation
PG: Uriah Tenette (5-11, 165, So.)
2025-26 stats: 10.6 PPG, 2.9 APG, 2.8 RPG, 1.4 SPG
SG: Jake Hall (6-4, 200, So.)
2025-26 stats: 16.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.6 APG, 43.8 3P%
SF: Hudson Mayes (6-5, 200, So.)
2025-26 stats: 11.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 54.5 FG% (UC San Diego)
PF: Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi (6-7, 205, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 11.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, 35.0 3P% (William & Mary)
C: Rytis Petraitis (6-7, 215, Gr.-Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 7 GP (Cal)
2024-25 stats: 8.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.3 SPG (Cal)
6: Chris Howell (6-6, 215, Gr.-Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 5.5 PPG, 3.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.7 SPG
7: Imran Suljanovic (6-8, 210, Rs.-Fr.)
2025-26: Medically redshirted (St. John’s)
8: Federico Grani (6-9, Fr.)
23-year-old freshman from Italy (Serie B)
9: Dax Hall (6-1, Fr.)
Unranked on 247Sports Composite
New Mexico basketball team MVP: Jake Hall
As a freshman, Hall vastly exceeded relatively modest expectations, leading the team with 16.4 points per game and leading all Mountain West players with an effective field goal percentage of 61.7%. Now, his sophomore expectations are rightfully high.
First and foremost, Hall is just a ridiculous shooter. At nearly 44% three-point efficiency on over seven attempts per game, it is easy to see why the offense revolved around feeding the hot hand. He also functions very well with his backcourt mate, Tenette, who took some of the playmaking load off his hands and allowed him to spot up off-ball.
The next step in Hall’s development will to expand as a secondary creator, playing off of closeouts when the defense keys in on him. Hall has good size for a combo guard, and could be an even more difficult assignment if he maximizes his physicality. Regardless, the freshman year numbers say enough; Hall will be the engine of this team, and is in for another massive season.
New Mexico basketball make-or-break player: Imran Suljanovic
Tally up the Lobos as yet another team where the guards look extremely promising, but the frontcourt is questionable. If Olen decides to go with his most proven five guys, he has journeyman Rytis Petraitis as an undersized center, alongside Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi, who is coming off of a good-not-great season at William & Mary.
That lineup should be able to score and provide switchability on defense, but the rim protection is questionable. I also have minimal confidence in freshman Federico Grani, who played lower-level competition in Italy. The largest source of upside? St. John’s transfer Imran Suljanovic.
While we have not seen him play a college minute yet, he was highly accomplished as a teenager in Austria, and has the skill set to produce in Albuquerque right away. Even if shot blocking is not Suljanovic’s primary strength, he may provide more resistance at the five spot to go along with his ability to space on offense and score in a variety of ways.
International prospects are especially difficult to project at the NCAA level, but Suljanovic is doing something right if he continues to get looks from some of the game’s most highly-respected coaches.
Key statistic: Opponent three-point percentage
In 2025-26, New Mexico allowed a Mountain West-low 30.5% three-point efficiency, with opponents attempting 48.2% of their shots from deep, the highest rate in the league. Statistically, when you play with fire this much, regression to the mean is inevitable. However, this trend is not accidental.
As discussed, Olen does not trot out a lengthy center play drop coverage and guard the basket. Instead, he protects the paint schematically and is willing to live with certain three-point shots. While open catch-and-shoot threes should be avoided at all costs, getting the ball out of top shooters’ hands and forcing less efficient players to make decisions is the priority.
This is the true reason why New Mexico finished in the top 50 in Torvik defensive efficiency without a game-changing individual defensive player.
New Mexico basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 2nd in Mountain West
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Round of 64