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The Lobos are luring another elite team to The Pit.

The University of New Mexico women's basketball team will begin a home-and-home series with powerhouse Stanford Dec. 18 in Albuquerque. The game lands on a Tuesday, with the tipoff still to be announced.

"We have been working on scheduling this series, and we're very happy to have Stanford playing us at home first," UNM coach Don Flanagan said. "It is very hard to schedule games with Pac-10 teams because they start their conference season so early. It's great to be able to reach this agreement with Stanford."

Flanagan said landing the series with the Cardinal is a good step for UNM.

"We've been scheduling good, tough programs for a long time, but it certainly says a lot that Stanford thinks highly enough of us to schedule the home-and-home series," he said. "It's helpful to our program because of their (fame). They get so much national attention, and we'll get to be a part of it. I think it's also helpful to their program to start the series here because they'll have to deal with a big crowd."

Flanagan said the remainder of the Lobos' 2007-08 nonconference schedule is complete, but he declined to release the other matchups Friday afternoon.

He confirmed the Lobos will not play Texas, Texas Tech, Arizona State or Oklahoma, all nationally-ranked teams UNM had played in the past.

"I think we are replacing a top-quality team in Oklahoma with another top-quality team in Stanford," Flanagan said. "I'm happy with the level of talent we're facing."

Flanagan said while the Lobos are taking a good break from the Sooners and Sun Devils, he would like to see the Longhorns and Red Raiders again soon.

"We are working on getting the series started up again with Texas and Texas Tech," Flanagan said. "Being neighbors with Texas and those being such top-notch teams, I think it's very good for us to play them."

Many women's basketball fans have been eager to see the Lobos play another powerhouse - Connecticut. Tennessee recently ended its longtime rivalry with the Huskies.

Flanagan, who hails from Hartford, Conn., in the shadow of Husky hoops, said the UConn matchup won't happen this year.

He praised Huskies coach Geno Auriemma, but added he wasn't eager to face Connecticut on its home court.

"It would be nice to get Geno out here, but I don't want to play out there yet," Flanagan said. "Right now, in his recruiting, he's really striking it rich. That's not uncommon for the rich. The rich get richer, and we're just trying to move up."

All-star game: Fans can attend the final scrimmage capping the Lobos' position camp at 10 a.m. June 26 in The Pit. The camp typically draws the best high school players, including UNM recruits. The event is free.