GAME NOTES: In the opening round of the 2014 Puerto Rico Tip-Off, the New Mexico Lobos will clash with the Boston College Eagles at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan.

New Mexico picked up two quick wins to start the season last weekend. The Lobos began with a 79-55 triumph over Idaho State on Friday before pulling out a 67-59 win against Cal State Fullerton on Sunday.

Boston College also was in action twice, but it only passed one of its early tests. The Eagles survived for a 58-50 win over New Hampshire in the season opener, but then fell by a 71-62 margin against Massachusetts at TD Garden in Boston on Sunday.

The winner of this contest will face the winner of the George Mason/West Virginia matchup. The losers will be matched up as well.

In the only previous meeting between these two schools, UNM managed to claim a 75-57 victory during the 76 Classic in 2011.

Solid defense and strong play on the glass keyed New Mexico to victory over Cal State Fullerton. The Lobos held the Titans to 43.6 percent shooting, while owning a 35-23 edge in rebounds. Cullen Neal dropped in three shots from beyond the arc and finished with 23 points and four assists to pace the winning effort, during which the Lobos connected on a respectable 48.7 percent of their shots from the field.

Neal has gotten off to a torrid start to the season, averaging 24.5 points per game. He also has done a nic job of spreading the ball to other scorers, with four assists in each of the first two games. The most impressive part of Neal's efforts has been his shooting from 3-point range (8-of-15). Hugh Greenwood (9.5 ppg) and Deshawn Delaney (9.5 ppg) are the second-best scorers, while Greenwood leads the way in assists (nine) and ranks second in rebounds (17). Obij Aget (8.5 ppg, 9 rpg) has started the season strong as well.

Even though Boston College took 16 more shots than UMass on Sunday, it missed far too many to give itself a chance to win. In total, the Eagles only sank 35.1 percent of their 57 launches from the field, although they did outscore the Minutemen, 15-0, from 3-point range and log a 43-34 edge on the glass. They hurt themselves with sloppy play on defense, committing 31 personal fouls, which gave the opposition 46 attempts at the free-throw line, 31 of which found the bottom of the net.

As expected, Olivier Hanlan has been the top scoring threat for the Eagles, with 35 points combined in the first two games. However, he has not been very efficient or careful with the basketball, shooting just 36.7 percent from the field, while turning the ball over 10 times, which also is a team-high. Aaron Brown has made less than 40 percent of his field goal attempts as well, but has been close to Hanlan in overall scoring, with 33 points combined in the first two games. Hanlan had 18 points against UMass, while Brown finished with 12 on just 3-of-11 shooting.

Hanlan and Brown can score, that is clear. However, the Eagles have too many question marks on the rest of the roster, while New Mexico has a more varied group of contributors.