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GAME NOTES: The Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas is the site of tonight's Mountain West Conference showdown between the 15th-ranked New Mexico Lobos and the 23rd-ranked UNLV Runnin' Rebels.

The two teams are currently tied with BYU for first place in the MWC, with all three programs sporting 7-2 league ledgers. The Rebels have earned their spot among the nation's elite by stringing together five straight wins and taking seven of the last eight games overall. On Saturday, the squad rolled over BYU, 88-74, in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the final score might indicate.

As for the Lobos, they've had some close calls during their current seven-game win streak, none more treacherous than their 88-86 overtime victory against San Diego State on Saturday. It was the third game during this current run in which UNM had won by four points or less.

With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, UNLV leads by a count of 25-14, thanks in part to a 74-62 upset of New Mexico in The Pit earlier this season. Kendall Wallace and Tre'Von Willis led the way for the Rebels with 21 and 20 points, respectively.

Darington Hobson put together yet another incredible effort over the weekend, scoring 29 points, clearing 12 rebounds and handing out six assists, not to mention grabbing three steals, as he helped lead the Lobos to a narrow two- point overtime win against San Diego State at home. Also scoring in double figures were A.J. Hardeman and Dairese Gary with 15 points apiece, followed by Roman Martinez with 11 before he fouled out. Hobson, who was actually born in Las Vegas, has been a beast the last two games for the Lobos with a combined 48 points, 20 rebounds, 12 assists and eight steals, more than enough reason to consider him for MWC Player of the Year honors when the time comes. For the season overall, the College of Eastern Utah transfer is averaging 15.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg and has delivered on a team-best 103 assists which means no one in the league can match his stat line at the moment. Martinez (13.8 ppg), who is getting better looks at the basket because of all the attention being paid to Hobson, is shooting 42.5 percent from three-point range for a team that is making almost eight triples per outing and is outscoring opponents by 10.9 ppg.

UNLV was on fire in the first half against the Cougars on Saturday, not only shooting 64.5 percent from the field in the frame, but also hitting a staggering 9-of-13 attempts behind the three-point line. Obviously the Rebels were due to cool down in the second half, yet the team still finished at 52.5 percent from the floor and 52.2 percent out on the perimeter. Tre'Von Willis led all scorers with 33 points and he handed out eight assists, while Matt Shaw and Oscar Bellfield posted 13 and 12 points, respectively. Willis leads the team in scoring overall this season with his 18.0 ppg, even though he is shooting just 29.5 percent from three-point range. He has made good on almost 50 percent of his field goal attempts and 121-of-142 at the free-throw line, which means Willis has made more than twice as many shots at the stripe than any one of his teammates has yet to attempt. When it comes to MWC games, Willis boosts his scoring average to a whopping 22.9 ppg, followed by Chace Stanback with 13.1 ppg, helping to provide the team with a scoring edge of more than nine points per game in those nine meetings.

In what is bound to be one of the best MWC games of the season, the battle between Hobson and Willis could be epic, which means it will probably be the players on the periphery who will decide the outcome.