The UNM-San Diego State game is sold out. Here's what else to know ahead of Saturday's showdown in the Pit.

Jan. 12—The UNM Lobos are hoping a nationally televised audience on Saturday gets a healthy dose of red, white and you.

Along with a hopeful red and white "stripe out" inside the Pit, the university on Thursday announced the game against No. 19 San Diego State is sold out.

The game, which will be broadcast on network television by CBS at noon, will mark the second sellout of the season. An announced crowd of 15,435 was at the Dec. 2 game against in-state rival New Mexico State, in which the Lobos won 106-62.

The Aztecs (14-2, 3-0 Mountain West), who played in April's national title game, bring to town All-America candidate forward Jaedon LeDee and guard LaMont Butler, who broke Lobo fans' hearts with a buzzer beater last February, five weeks before hitting another game-winning shot as time expired, this time against Florida Atlantic in the Final Four.

The Lobos (13-3, 1-2) are looking to bounce back from a frustrating road loss Tuesday night at UNLV and protect the home court they are 8-0 on so far this season.

STRIPE OUT: UNM is hoping for a red and white stripe out on Saturday.

Fans are asked to wear either white shirts or red shirts depending on what section they are sitting in.

The breakdown:

RED SECTIONS: A, B, D, F, H, J, P, R, T, V

WHITE SECTIONS: C, E, G, K, L, M, N, Q, S, U, W, X, Y, Z

ARRIVE EARLY: While cherry is the Lobos official color, there are no plans to check fans at the door for the proper shade of red. But there will, as always, be long lines trying to get through security and UNM is asking fans to arrive early.

DON'T TELL THE FIRE MARSHALL: Since the Pit's renovation in the 2009-10 season, capacity at the Pit has been listed as 15,411. That number has been slightly exceeded, in the books anyway, three times in the past year:

15,435 — Dec. 2, 2023, vs. New Mexico State15,431 — Feb. 25, 2023, vs. San Diego State15,424 — Jan. 7, 2023, vs. UNLV

TRAVELING SHOW: Over the past 15 seasons — starting with the 2009-10 renovation when the Pit's temporary capacity for the season dropped to 14,586 — UNM has posted an announced sellout 31 times.

There have been seven nonconference sellouts in those 15 seasons and 24 in Mountain West play.

No opposing team in that span has accounted for more sold out crowds in the Pit than the Lobos' good friends, San Diego State — not even in-state rival New Mexico State University.

There were nine sellouts in that 2009-10 season when the Lobos won 30 games and the conference title. The 2013-14 season — UNM's last in the NCAA Tournament — was next best with seven sellouts (back at the 15,411 figure). In Steve Alford's last season as head coach, 2012-13, UNM got six sellouts.

Last season's Jan. 7 game against UNLV was the first time the Pit sold out in nearly eight years (March 7, 2015, through Jan. 2, 2023).

The most hated, or helpful, opposing teams that have accounted for those 31 sellouts in the Pit over the past 15 seasons are:

1. San Diego State (7)

2. UNLV (4)

t3. New Mexico State (3)

t3. Wyoming (3)

AROUND THE MOUNTAIN: The Mountain West conference through a week and a half of league play has already had four sellouts: two at San Diego State (vs. UNLV and Fresno State), one at Boise State (vs. Colorado State) and one at Utah State (also vs. Colorado State).

The Nevada Wolf Pack has been making a push to sell out the Lawlor Events Center in Reno for Friday night's game against Boise State, even having former Lobo coaches Alford and Craig Neal, and others, record a social media video on Thursday showing them shoveling snow outside the arena, telling fans they'll be ready.

If that game does not hit Lawlor's listed capacity of 11,200 fans, then Saturday's game in the Pit will be the fifth of league play in the MW.