Lobos Tip Off 2018 MW Championships Thursday
2018 Mountain West Championships
Thursday, March 8, 2018 – 9:30 p.m. MT / 8:30 p.m. PT
Thomas & Mack Center (Capacity: 19,522)
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: 770 KKOB-AM / 94.5 FM Lobo Radio Network
MOUNTAIN WEST TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
TOURNAMENT NOTES | LISTEN | LIVE STATS
LAS VEGAS, NEV. — The University of New Mexico men’s basketball team is set to tip off in the 2018 Mountain West Championship Quarterfinals on Thursday, March 8, at 9:30 p.m. MT / 8:30 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Network.
The No. 3 seed Lobos (17-14, 12-6 MW) will take on the winner of the No. 6 seed Wyoming vs No. 11 seed San José State game which is set to take place on Wednesday, March 7, at 5 p.m. MT / 4 p.m. PT.
The Lobos earned a first-round bye in the championships for the second-straight season, clinching the third seed with a victory over Fresno State at home on Saturday.
LAST TIME OUT
The Lobos took on Fresno State on Saturday night in Dreamstyle Arena – The Pit and claimed a 95-86 overtime victory to clinch third place in the final Mountain West standings and the third seed in the 2018 Mountain West Championships. Following Saturday night’s game, the Lobos honored a trio of seniors including Sam Logwood, Joe Furstinger and Antino Jackson.
WE’RE STREAKING!
Saturday night’s game against Fresno State extended UNM’s longest win streak of the season to five.
LOBOS IN OVERTIME
Saturday night’s game against Fresno State marked the first time this season that the Lobos have played to overtime – and the first overtime win since March 7, 2015 against Wyoming in Albuquerque (52-49).
DOUBLE-FIGURE STREAK
Junior Anthony Mathis has scored in double figures in the last 18 games of the season, spanning the entirety of conference play. He has accumulated a team-best 25 double-digit scoring games this season. In his first two seasons at UNM, Mathis averaged just 2.3 and 2.9 points per game, this season he leads the Lobos with 13.3.
Mathis has also gone 18 straight games scoring at least one 3-pointer, good for ninth in UNM history.
FURSTINGER BLOCK PARTY
Senior Joe Furstinger collected his 100th career block on Sunday, Feb. 25, against UNLV. He posted two blocks on the night for a total of 101 career blocks, and now has 103 to rank eighth in program history for most blocks in a career.
STANDOUT FRESHMAN – MALUACH MAKING HISTORY
Freshman Makuach Maluach is currently second on the Lobo squad in points per game with 12.7 in conference play. He averages 23.4 minutes per game since MW competition started and has made his way into the Lobo record book with a total of 306 points on the season. He currently ranks ninth all-time in program history for most points scored by a freshman.
He also scored the gamewinner for the Lobos in the 91-90 victory over UNLV with 16 seconds left to propel UNM to the win. His name has been tossed around for the prestigious Freshman of the Year honor in the Mountain West this season.
MATHIS SETS NEW RECORD
With his pair of 3-pointers in the Lobos’ game against Colorado State on Feb. 28, junior Anthony Mathis broke the 16-year-old, all-time UNM record for most 3-point field goals scored in a conference season. The previous record of 59 was set by Marlow White in the 1993-94 season and tied by Ruben Douglas in 2002-03. Mathis now has 66.
MATHIS – RANKED 4TH IN THE NATION
Junior Anthony Mathis is currently ranked 4th in the country in 3-point field goal percentage, firing at a clip of 49.5 percent from behind the arc. He has hit a team-high 95 3-pointers on the season. He is also ranked 29th in 3-point field goals per game (3.06) and 28th in total 3-pointers made on the season.
Mathis is moving his way up in the UNM record book. His 95 3-pointers ranks him fourth all-time in Lobo history for 3-pointers in a single season.
3-POINT FRENZY – 7TH IN THE NATION
The Lobos are currently seventh in the nation in 3-pointers made per game (11.1) and also seventh in total 3-pointers made on the season (345).
3-POINTER STREAK
The Lobos have scored 10 3-pointers or more in the last 12 straight games and have done so in 23 of their 31 games this season.
SHATTERING 3-POINT RECORDS
The Lobos have already shattered five UNM program 3-pointer records on the season including the following: (Old record/new record set)
Most 3-pointers attempted in a conference game (34/36 vs San Jose State Jan. 6)
Most 3-pointers scored in a season (301/345)
Most 3-pointers attempted in a season (782/914)
Most 3-pointers scored in a conference season (179/202)
Most 3-pointers attempted in a conference season (439/506)
LINEUP MIXUP
The Lobos have featured 17 different lineups this season over 31 games. In press conferences and radio interviews, Coach Weir explained his method to this madness – so to speak – designating deflections and other statistics in the most recent game as the primary determining factor in this season’s Lobo starters.
IT ALL COMES FULL CIRCLE
Of the 17 different lineups used by the Lobos this season, it all came full circle at the end. Through several roster fluctuations and starters throughout 2017-18, the final starters on Saturday in UNM’s final game of the regular season against Fresno State matched the starters from the Lobos’ first matchup against Northern New Mexico on Nov. 11: Chris McNeal, Antino Jackson, Dane Kuiper, Sam Logwood and Joe Furstinger.
LOBOS IN THE NATION
The Lobos are performing well in many categories in comparison to the rest of the nation’s teams. Here is a look at where the Lobos stack up nationally in key categories:
7th – 3-point field goals per game (11.1)
7th – total 3-point field goals made (345)
8th – turnover margin (4.3)
8th – turnovers forced (16.90)
9th – 3-point field goal attempts (914)
17th – free-throw percentage (77.3)
25th – scoring offense (82.3)
LOBOS IN THE MOUNTAIN WEST
The Lobos are ranked highly in the Mountain West in several statistical categories, including 17 in the top five. Below are just a few of the top spots UNM holds in the MW:
1st – 3-point field goals attempted (914)
1st – free-throw percentage (77.3)
1st – steals per game (7.5)
1st – 3-point field goals per game (11.1)
1st – total 3-pointers made (345)
1st – total steals (232)
1st – turnover margin (4.3)
1st – turnovers forced (16.90)
ABOUT THE 2017-18 LOBOS
The 2017-18 Lobos have just five returning student-athletes from the 2016-17 squad and feature an outstanding nine newcomers. Under first-year head coach Paul Weir, the Lobos look to improve on their 17-14 overall record last season, 10-8 in Mountain West play.
Top returners for the Lobos include lone regular starter Sam Logwood who averaged 7.3 points per game for a .449 field goal percentage and a .671 percentage from the free throw line. All four other Lobos to return to UNM this season played in at least 10 games, including junior Dane Kuiper who started 13 games, averaging 6.0 points per game.
NEW COACH NEW ERA
At the helm of the Lobos in the 2016-17 season will be head coach Paul Weir, officially named the 21st head coach in UNM men’s basketball history on April 11, 2017. Weir spent the last season with New Mexico State where he finished 28-6 and led NMSU to a WAC Tournament Championship and an NCAA appearance. Weir is the first basketball coach to serve as the head coach for both New Mexico DI institutions.
BY THE NUMBERS
Here is what is returning and missing for the 2017-18 Lobos.
Stat………………………. Returning………… Lost……….% Returning
Points………………………… 598…………….1,685…………… 26%
Rebounds………………….. 312…………….. 759…………….. 29%
Assists………………………… 93……………… 327…………….. 22%
Blocks………………………… 37………………. 72……………… 34%
Steals…………………………. 54……………… 135…………….. 29%
3-Pointers…………………… 39……………… 106…………….. 27%
Free Throws……………….. 145…………….. 437…………….. 25%
LOBO TRANSFERS
Of the nine fresh faces to the UNM squad, the Lobos welcome in six new transfers, four of which will be eligible to compete in the 2017-18 season. Those that are eligible and will don the Lobo Cherry & Silver this season include junior Chris McNeal (Indian Hills), senior Antino Jackson (Akron), junior Jachai Simmons (Midland College) and junior Troy Simons (Polk State). The pair of transfers that will not see action this season is JaQuan Lyle (Ohio State) and Vance Jackson (UCONN) due to NCAA transfer rules.
LOBOS ON TV
The 2017-18 schedule includes many national and regional broadcasts of New Mexico basketball. The Lobos are currently slated for TV 22 times, including 13 of 16 Mountain West games. UNM had 22 of 26 UNM and MW controlled games selected for TV while three non-conference road games, at New Mexico State, at UTEP and at Colorado are expected to be broadcast as well. The Lobos will be on ATT SportsNet/ROOT eight times, on CBS Sports Network five times, ESPN3 five times, and ESPNU and the Mountain West Network on Stadium once. Additionally, two games (at UNLV on January 17 and January 27 at home against Colorado State) are flex games that will be either on ESPNU or ESPN3.
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
After two years as WisePies Arena – The Pit, the famous home of Lobo basketball has been given a new name. While it will still be referred to as “The Pit,” this season will be the first that the Lobos will compete in “Dreamstyle Arena” as part of an exciting $10 million agreement for naming rights by Dreamstyle Remodeling of both of UNM’s largest-capacity athletic venues. In addition to the official renaming of the Lobo basketball arena, the UNM football stadium, formerly referred to as “University Stadium” is now officially named “Dreamstyle Stadium.”
In conjunction with the new name, The Pit was given a new floor this season, featuring both “New Mexico” and “The Pit” on the baselines, the new university interlocking UNM logo, fresh Mountain West logos customized in the Lobo cherry and silver, cherry free throw lines and dual Dreamstyle Arena logos on both sides of center court.
“The Pit” is nationally recognized as one of the top basketball venues. Need more
evidence? How about Sports Illustrated ranking it as one of the top 20 sporting
venues, of any sport, in the world for the 20th century. The Pit is truly a special place, and it has created an unparalleled environment for the New Mexico men’s basketball program. Since the Mountain West conference began in 1999-2000, New Mexico has ranked in the top two in home attendance among MW teams in every year except one, including 12 seasons as the top-ranked MW team in overall attendance.
LOBOS FROM NEAR AND FAR
Just one Lobo on the 2017-18 roster hails from near as a New Mexico native, freshman Matt Vail. Of the remaining 13 players on the roster, two are from California (Joe Furstinger and Vance Jackson) and two more are from Indiana (Sam Logwood and JaQuan Lyle). That leaves nine players all from different states or countries.
The Lobo melting pot includes players from as close as Arizona (Connor McDougall) and Texas (Antino Jackson) and as far as Alaska (Dane Kuiper), New Jersey (Jachai Simmons), Oregon (Anthony Mathis), Pennsylvania (Troy Simons) and Tennessee (Chris McNeal). Not only are the Lobos’ home towns spread across the United States, but two come from overseas including freshmen Makuach Maluach from Sydney, Australia, and Vladimir Pinchuk from Schwelm, Germany.
Clear Bag Policy at MW Basketball Championships
Lobo fans heading to Las Vegas for the upcoming MW Basketball Championships this week, please be aware that the Thomas & Mack Center instituted a clear bag policy in October of 2017. Click here for more details.