Tulsa, OK (Sports Network) - Off to their best start since 1973-74, the 13th- ranked New Mexico Lobos are trying to become just the second team in the 107 seasons of UNM basketball to start 13-0 when they land at the Mabee Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma to challenge the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles tonight.

After being out of the national spotlight for a decade, the Lobos have reached their highest AP ranking since 1999. For head coach Steve Alford, this isn't unfamiliar territory given that he led his Iowa squad to 12th in the nation in 2005-06 as well.

On Saturday, the streak appeared to be nearing an end against Creighton, but UNM bounced back after a weak start and managed to take the 66-61 win at home in The Pit.

As for the Golden Eagles, who haven't hosted an opponent ranked this high since in-state rival Oklahoma State dropped by back in 1992 for an 84-61 win when it was ranked third in the country, this is the team's only home date between December 10th and January 6th. Last week at this time, Oral Roberts was suffering a monumental 94-57 loss at the hands of Louisville on the road. The setback was the second in a row for a team that is sporting an even 6-6 record at the moment.

New Mexico won the only previous meeting in the series with Oral Roberts by a score of 66-63 last season in The Pit.

The end of the streak looked more and more likely for the Lobos as they struggled to get through the first half against a Creighton squad that knocked down a staggering 71.4 percent from the field. Perhaps it wouldn't have appeared as awkward had UNM not made just 20.6 percent from the floor in the frame. But in the second half it was a completely different story for the visiting Bluejays as they knocked down just 1-of-15 from three-point range and opened the door for the Lobos' impressive comeback. Darington Hobson posted a double-double with 22 points and 16 rebounds, adding six of the team's 10 assists, while Roman Martinez also logged a double-double with his 11 points and 10 rebounds. Dairese Gary checked in with 12 points in the frantic come- from-behind victory. The 16-point comeback for the Lobos was the second- largest in the 766 games played in The Pit. A transfer from the College of Eastern Utah, Hobson is one of the most versatile players in the nation at the moment with his 16.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 55 assists, all of which lead the Lobos through 12 games. If there is one drawback to Hobson's game, it is his mere 59.5 percent accuracy at the free-throw line, but considering UNM is outscoring opponents by 16 ppg, it is something coach Alford can overlook for the time being.

For the second straight game, the Golden Eagles were left with a short bench as they tried to hold on against Louisville at Freedom Hall. Unfortunately, the Cardinals were none too accommodating as they blew the doors off the visitors by 37 points. Dominique Morrison tried to keep things interesting as he posted a team-best 17 points for Oral Roberts, but he also suffered seven of the team's 21 turnovers on the night. Warren Niles chipped in 13 points, shooting 5-of-10 from the floor, while Michael Craion posted 11 points as he too made half of his 10 field goal attempts. With wins over both Stanford and Missouri, the Golden Eagles are no easy pushover this season as Morrison leads a quartet of double-digit scorers with his 15.4 ppg. Carion is credited with 12.2 ppg and 7.1 rpg, his efforts on the glass second only to Kevin Ford (11.0 ppg) and his 7.8 rpg over 12 starts. Scoring just 66.0 ppg, one of the things holding ORU back is a mere 27.8 percent accuracy behind the three-point line through 12 games.