Basketball: Tulsa’s NIT Run Provides Context to NM State Season

Tulsa’s run to the NIT Championship game is providing a fresh lens on results across the region, including both sides of the Rio Grande rivalry.

The Golden Hurricane advanced to the final with a 74–69 win over New Mexico in the NIT semifinals Thursday night in Indianapolis, ending the Lobos’ season at 26–11.

New Mexico battled throughout, tying the game late in the second half, but Tulsa used an 8–0 run in the final minutes to take control and close out the win. Freshman Jake Hall led the Lobos with 20 points in the loss.

“Congratulations to Tulsa. They are a great basketball team and played better than we did tonight,” UNM head coach Eric Olen said. “We played hard… but we just couldn’t make enough plays.”

A Familiar Opponent

For New Mexico State, Tulsa’s postseason success underscores the level of competition the Aggies faced earlier in the season.

When the teams met in December at a neutral-site contest in Frisco, Texas, Tulsa entered the matchup as NM State’s highest-ranked NET opponent to that point, bringing one of the nation’s most explosive offenses into the game.

NMSU’s Julius Mims goes over the top of Tulsa’s Tyler Behrend in December match up in Frisco, Texas/

The Aggies ultimately fell 83–70, but the final score masked a tale of two halves.

After trailing by 22 at the break, NM State responded with a strong second-half push, outscoring Tulsa 43–34 and cutting the deficit to single digits before the Golden Hurricane pulled away late.

Julius Mims led the Aggies with 16 points, while Jemel Jones and Cyr Malonga added 14 and 13, respectively.

Measuring Against the Field

Tulsa’s current run—now sitting at 30–7 and playing for a postseason title—adds context to that early-season matchup.

The Golden Hurricane have demonstrated the ability to:

• Build early leads with high-powered offense
• Withstand second-half runs
• Close games in critical moments

Those same traits were evident in both contests against regional opponents, including Thursday’s semifinal against UNM.

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Rivalry Perspective

The comparison also loops back into the season’s most familiar measuring stick.

New Mexico State earned a 76–68 win over New Mexico earlier this season at The Pit, giving the Aggies a head-to-head result against the same Lobos team that advanced to the NIT semifinals.

While each game exists in its own context, the shared opponent in Tulsa offers a broader view of how the region’s top programs matched up over the course of the season.

A Season Reframed

For NM State, the December loss to Tulsa now reads differently than it may have at the time.

Facing a team that has since navigated a deep postseason run, the Aggies’ performance—particularly their second-half response—provides additional perspective on the trajectory of their season.

Tulsa’s success does not rewrite results, but it does clarify them.