Dec. 20, 2004
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The biggest challenge of the young season comes to Albuquerque Wednesday when the New Mexico Lobos play host to nationally-ranked Wake Forest. Tipoff is 7:05 p.m. Mountain Time from The Pit/Bob King Court.
A capacity, standing-room-only crowd of 18,018 is possible, which would be the Lobos’ second sellout since Dec. 16, 2001 when New Mexico State was in town. Last year’s Air Force game also sold out.
Fox Sports South will air the game in the southern part of the nation and KRQE is going to carry the FSS broadcast locally. For New Mexico, it’s the fourth game of a six-game homestand to close out the calendar year.
Now 10-1 following a raucous 77-58 victory over Tennessee, the Lobos have equaled their best start since 2000-01. UNM, which received 15 points in the latest AP poll, has won six in a row since suffering its only loss of the year at Oregon (79-75) on Nov. 22. The last 11-1 beginning was 1998-99 when it started 12-1.
The six-game run is the longest for a Ritchie McKay-coached team and the best by New Mexico since it captured eight straight during the 2001-02 season.
The Demon Deacons are 9-1 after getting past Texas 89-88 at home on Saturday. Like the Lobos, WFU’s only loss was on the road, dealt by current No. 1 Illinois (91-73) on Dec. 1.
Checking in this week at No. 5 in the AP poll, Wake Forest is the highest-ranked opponent New Mexico has faced since Jan. 20, 2001, when it lost at top-ranked Stanford 75-44.
It’s been seven seasons since a UNM foe entered The Pit with such as lofty position in the polls as Wake Forest. On Feb. 1, 1998, the 14th-ranked Lobos knocked off No. 3 Utah 77-74.
The last time New Mexico beat a top-5 team was at Arizona nearly five years ago to the day as Wednesday’s game. The Lobos upset the No. 2 Wildcats 70-68 in Tucson on Dec. 21, 1999, halting UA’s 37-game homecourt winning streak.
Wednesday’s game is certainly drawing a lot of attention from the NBA. A total of 15 scouts from 14 organizations have requested credentials: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Detroit, Golden State, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Orlando, Phoenix, Seattle, Utah and Washington.
UPCOMING TICKET PROMOTIONS
A Mountain West Conference Mini-Pack is currently available at the ticket office at The Pit. Prices range from $84-112 depending on seat location and includes all seven Mountain West Conference games plus a free ticket to all four games of next week’s COMCAST Lobo Invitational. UNM students can purchase the package for just $35 with one guest ticket available for $70.
UNM season-ticket holders can purchase a maximum of four tickets to each night of the COMCAST Lobo Invitational for half-price. The Pack The Pit game is Jan. 8 against Wyoming with all tickets going for just $10.
The ticket office is open at 8:30 through Wednesday of this week. It will be closed Dec. 23-27, then open at 3 p.m. on Dec. 28-29 for Lobo Invitational. It closes again from Dec. 30-Jan. 3. Regular hours will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 4.
Call (505) 925-5626 for more information.
STREAKING
UNM has won its first nine home games of a season for the first time since the 1998-99 Lobos took 16 in a row.
New Mexico is looking for its 10th straight win in The Pit for the first time since a 12-game run four years ago: the last four games of 1999-2000 and the first eight of 2000-01.
New Mexico has won 14 consecutive non-conference home games, the last loss being dealt by Texas Tech (67-58) a year ago.
HEAD COACH Ritchie McKay
Ritchie McKay is in his third season in charge of Lobo hoops and his ninth year as a collegiate head coach. He was named UNM’s 18th head coach on March 28, 2002.
McKay had previous two-year stops at Portland State (1996-98), Colorado State (1998-2000) and Oregon State (2000-02). He has a career record of 117-122, 34-33 at New Mexico. While at UNM, McKay is 33-11 at home, 25-13 in non-conference games and 24-6 in non-league games at The Pit.
McKay is 0-1 against Wake Forest and 0-2 against the ACC. His 1997-98 Portland State team lost at Duke 89-39.
While at Mountain West Conference member Colorado State, McKay led the Rams to the NIT in 1999. McKay is the son of the late Joe McKay, who was a three-year letterman at guard for the Lobos from 1961-63.
PAYING RESPECTS
Funeral services for former UNM head basketball coach Bob King were held in The Pit last Wednesday. King passed away at an Albuquerque hospital last Friday at the age of 81.
Known as the “Architect of Lobo Basketball,” King came to UNM in 1962 and immediately put a buzz into the community. His teams’ successes led to sellout crowds at Johnson Gym, which, in turn, forced The Pit to be built in 1966. King posted a 175-89 record and never had a losing record in any of his 10 seasons. He led UNM to postseason play for the first time in school history with three NIT appearances and the school’s initial NCAA Tournament showing in 1968. The playing floor at The Pit was officially named Bob King Court in 1992.
New Mexico had a 418-495 record with no postseason appearances before King arrived. Since that time, UNM is 797-466, an average of nearly 19 wins per year. The Lobos have made 26 trips to the postseason during that span, including 10 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and 16 showings in the NIT. King, an Air Force veteran, will be buried at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to:
Lobo Legacy – Bob King Family Endowment
UNM Foundation
MSC 07-4260
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
UNM VS. WAKE FOREST AND THE ACC
Wake Forest has a 2-1 lead, including last year’s 70-61 triumph at Winston-Salem when WFU was No. 6 in the nation. The Demon Deacons also won 72-65 at home in the second round of the 2000 postseason NIT. The Lobos’ victory was 76-71 in the championship game of the 1988 Lobo Invitational.
New Mexico has a 4-8 record against current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference: 1-3 vs. Florida State, 2-0 vs. Miami (Fla.), 0-2 vs. Virginia, 0-1 vs. Virginia Tech and 1-2 vs. Wake Forest. The last win was 110-93 at Miami on Feb. 1, 1989, although the Hurricanes were an independent at that time.
LAST YEAR’S GAME
The Lobos gave sixth-ranked Wake Forest all it could handle before falling 70-61. Danny Granger had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead New Mexico. Troy DeVries, who had 12 points in the opening 8½ minutes of the second half to keep UNM close, finished with 17.
The Demon Deacons started the second half 8-for-10 from the floor, but still couldn’t shake the Lobos, who took a 47-46 lead when DeVries scored. WFU scored on its next trip and never trailed again, although it was a 5-point game (62-37) with 3:37 to go.
New Mexico held the nation’s highest scoring team 22 points below its scoring average…Wake Forest came into the game averaging 92.1 ppg
Somehow, the Lobos stayed close despite a scoreless span of 6:27 in the first half…UNM tied the game at 14 at the 10:41 mark…Wake Forest then scored nine straight points for a 23-14 lead…during the drought, UNM missed seven shots and turned the ball over six times before DeVries made a 3-pointer with 4:14 remaining before the break…New Mexico still managed to cut the halftime deficit to 28-25
UNM took a 47-46 lead in the second half on a reverse layup by DeVries, who scored 12 of UNM’s first 22 points after halftime…the Lobos trailed just 62-57 after Javin Tindall made two free throws with 3:37 left, but Wake Forest scored the next eight points to put it away…New Mexico did not make a FG in the final 4:25 and scored just 11 points over the last 8:16 of the game
New Mexico committed 19 turnovers…the miscues proved costly in the 9-point loss as Wake Forest had a 20-8 edge in points off turnovers…UNM, averaging just 13.4 turnovers during a five-game winning streak, lost the ball 13 times in the first half alone…Tindall had made only 18 turnovers in 321 minutes for the season, but was guilty of a career-high 8 against the Deacons
UNM outrebounded the Demon Deacons 40-31, including 15-9 on the offensive end
NEW MEXICO VS. RANKED TEAMS
New Mexico has a 47-107 all-time record against ranked opponents. That breaks down to 34-48 at home, 10-51 on the road and 3-8 on neutral floors. The Lobos are 1-4 in their last five tries against ranked foes, the lone win 76-69 over 22nd-ranked Utah in The Pit on March 1, 2003.
UNM is 3-5 in its last eight games against ranked opposition. Included in that total is a 70-68 triumph at No. 2 Arizona on Dec. 21, 1999, halting the Wildcats’ 37-game homecourt winning streak.
QUICK HITS
Through games of Sunday, Dec. 19, the Lobos were 4th in the nation in field-goal percentage at 52.7%, 15th in scoring margin (+19.9), 15th in scoring offense (83.8 ppg) and 20th in rebound margin (+8.2)
Wake Forest Provost William Gordon was President of the University of New Mexico from 1998-2002
The Lobos have shot 50% or better in seven of their 11 games this season, including a season-best 64.3% vs. New Mexico State Dec. 1
New Mexico has led at halftime of every game this season, averaging an 11.8-point advantage at the break
Through games of Dec. 19, the Lobos have four of the MWC’s most accurate 3-point shooters in Danny Granger (3rd at 48.5), Mark Walters (7th at 42.9), Troy DeVries (8th at 42.2) and Alfred Neale (10th at 41.9)
Head coach Ritchie McKay has used the same starting lineup in every game this season…that’s quite a change from McKay’s first two Lobo teams as he used nine different quintets last season and a whopping 16 sets in 2002-03
After averaging 19.5 points and 9.0 rebounds a year ago, All-America candidate Danny Granger is currently averaging 18.8 ppg and 9.5 rpg…he could become just the 3rd Lobo to average more than 19 points and 9 rebounds twice in a career, joining Mel Daniels (1966-67) and Willie Long (1970-71)…Granger also leads the MWC in steals (2.7 pg) and the Lobos in blocks (1.9 pg)
UNM’s narrowest margin of victory during the current 6-game winning streak is 11 points, 81-70 over Northern Arizona…the average winning margin in those six games is 20.8 points
New Mexico has shot 53.3% (174-326) from the field in the 6-game win streak while holding opponents to 40.8% (143-350) accuracy
The Lobos have allowed an average of just 54.3 points the past three games…opponents have shot 35.5% (60-169) during that span
New Mexico has limited opponents to 60 points or less in six games this season…they did so only nine times all of last year and on only six occasions in 2002-03
UNM has made a 3-point basket in 435 straight games, the 12th-longest active streak in NCAA Div. I hoops…UNLV is 1st at 577
A Lobo has led the MWC in scoring four of the first five years the league has been in existence…Lamont Long won the crown in 1999-2000 at 18.7 ppg…after a one-year absence, Ruben Douglas captured consecutive titles in 2001-02 (18.1 ppg) and 2002-03 (28.0)…Danny Granger took the 2003-04 crown at 19.5 ppg
New Mexico’s 27-game road losing streak – 29 in a row including neutral sites – ended with an 84-66 victory at New Mexico State on Dec. 4
MORE ON THE DEMON DEACONS
Ranked No. 1 in the nation earlier this season before a loss at now-No. 1 Illinois, Wake Forest won the Preseason NIT by defeating Providence (79-67) and Arizona (63-60) at Madison Square Garden.
The Demon Deacons return all five starters from last year’s team that went 21-10 and 9-7 in the ACC. Wake beat Virginia Commonwealth and Manhattan in the NCAA Tournament before falling to St. Jospeh’s in the regional semifinals.
Junior center Eric Williams is one of three Demon Deacons scoring in double figures, averaging 15.4 ppg. Junior guard Justin Gray is close behind at 15.3 ppg, while sophomore All-America point guard Chris Paul is at 13.2 and 6.6 assists a game, including 23 in his last two games. Senior forward Jamaal Levy leads the team in rebounds at 7.9 a game.
Wake Forest is 1-1 in true road games so far, losing at Illinois but prevailing 67-64 at Temple Dec. 13. The Deacs are 2-0 at neutral sites.
Danny Granger: THE COMPLETE PLAYER
Through games of Saturday, Dec. 18, UNM senior forward Danny Granger leads the Mountain West Conference in steals at 2.73 a game. He is 2nd in scoring (18.8) and rebounding (9.5), 3rd in blocks (1.91) and 3-point FG percentage (48.5%) and 8th in field-goal percentage (55.9%). He was also named the MWC Player of the Week for the week ending on December 19, after leading UNM to a 77-58, win over Tennessee in The Pit.
TENNESSEE RECAP
Danny Granger scored 16 of his 20 points in the game’s final 12 minutes and New Mexico got its sixth straight win by beating Tennessee 77-58.
Double-teamed and held to three points in the first half, Granger sparked an 18-6 run by the Lobos in the second half after Tennessee had cut a 12-point halftime deficit to 38-34 with 12:46 left.
The Volunteers’ comeback was led by freshman guard Chris Lofton, who finished with 19 points, including going 5-for-5 on 3-pointers.
A layup by JaJuan Smith got Tennessee within four and the Volunteers had a chance to make it a one-point game, but Scooter McFagdon’s 3-pointer rimmed out.
It was all Granger and New Mexico after that. He scored seven quick points, connecting on a 16-foot jumper; a 3-pointer after stealing the ball from Andre Patterson and a shot in the lane that pushed New Mexico’s lead up to 50-36 with 9:57 left. Back-to-back baskets by Troy DeVries and David Chiotti finished the run and gave New Mexico a 56-38 lead.
UNM hit 13 of its last 18 shots in the second half and shot 64 percent in the final 20 minutes. The Lobos also had a season-low 8 turnovers – just 1 in the first half – and shut down the Volunteers’ inside game.
Five New Mexico players scored in double figures. DeVries scored 9 of the Lobos’ first 17 points and finished with 16. Mark Walters scored 14, Chiotti 11 and Alfred Neale 10. Tennessee center Brandon Crump, who had scored in double figures in the Vols’ last four games, scored just two points.
TENNESSEE POSTGAME NOTES
New Mexico earned its sixth straight victory, improving to 10-1 on the season, which is the best start by a Lobo squad since the 2000-01 team began 10-1…UNM head coach Ritchie McKay improved his record at New Mexico to 34-33 and is now over .500 at New Mexico since he was 3-2
Tennessee’s 17 points at the break were the lowest by a UNM opponent in any half this year and the Vols’ lowest output of any half this season…the previous low for an opponent was 18 by Arkansas Pine Bluff and Tennessee’s previous lowest output was 31 against North Carolina
The first half saw five lead changes and one tie…the Lobos took the lead at the 8:21 mark and never trailed, closing the half with a 9-1 run keyed by Mark Walters’ five points…Tennessee’s biggest lead of the first half 3-0
The Lobos had five players score in double figures for the third time this season…Danny Granger led the way with 20 points, 17 of those coming in the 2nd half…Alfred Neale just missed his 2nd career double-double with 10 points and a season-high 9 rebounds off the bench
New Mexico shot under 50 percent for only the third time this season, going 27-of- 55 from the field…UNM did shoot 64 percent in the second half (16-25) and made 13 of its last 18 shots the final 15:22 of the game…the Lobos also made 6 of their final 11 3-pointers after starting 2 of 15
UNM forced 18 Tennessee turnovers, while the Lobos committed a season-low 8, including just 1 in the first half…the Lobos turned the 18 Vol turnovers into 23 points, outscoring UT 23-12 off turnovers.
The Lobos won the battle in the paint, outscoring Tennessee 28-16…UNM also won the battle of the boards for the 10th time this season as the edge the Vols 30-28…New Mexico once trailed in rebounds 10-3, but had a 27-18 advantage thereafter
The Lobos tied a season-high with 13 steals…they also had 13 against Northern Colorado
LEAGUE LEADERS
Through games of Dec. 19, New Mexico leads the Mountain West Conference in scoring (83.8 ppg), scoring margin (+19.9), FG percentage (52.7%), rebound margin (+8.2), FG% (52.7) and assist average (16.7).
IT’S EARLY BUT…
The Lobos are shooting 52.7% from the field, which would be the 2nd-best accuracy in school history…the single-season record is 54.5% set by the 1988-89 Lobos…New Mexico has shot better than 50% for an entire season only five times since 1950-51 when stats became official…only three teams – Oklahoma State, Gonzaga and Utah State – finished the 2003-04 season converting at least 50% of their attempts from the floor
UNM is averaging 83.8 points per game compared to just 69.6 ppg last year…the last team to average at least 80 for the season was the 1986-87 squad at 80.8 ppg
New Mexico is winning by an average margin of 19.9 ppg…the school record is 14.6 set by the 1977-78 Lobos
Opponents are shooting just 40.7% on the season…UNM has allowed 43% accuracy or higher each of the past four seasons
New Mexico’s rebound margin of +8.3 would be the 5th-best in the school record book…currently, the top-five margins were all set between 1962-67
DOMINATING AT HOME
The Lobos have won their first nine home games for the first time since the 1998-99 season when they took 16 in a row. They have also captured 22 of their past 24 in The Pit. A few homecourt notes from 2004-05:
UNM’s average lead at halftime is 13.6 points (39.8 to 26.2)…the Lobos are averaging 84.8 ppg in The Pit while holding opponents to 62, a winning margin of 22.8 points
The Lobos are shooting a steamy 55% (262-475) from the floor, and have shot no lower than 49% in any home game to date…the 64.3% accuracy against New Mexico State Dec. 1 is UNM’s best since making 67.9% (36-53) at Air Force on Feb. 14, 1998
New Mexico’s 3-point accuracy is 41.3% (76-184)
UNM nailed a school-record 20 treys against Santa Clara, including 13 of 20 in the first half…to put that number in perspective, UNM made more than 13 in an entire game just three times last year..the previous standard for 3-point proficiency was 18 on two occasions: vs. Holy Cross on Dec. 29, 1997, and vs. UTEP on Feb. 19, 1998. Both games were played in The Pit
SHOOT BETTER AND WIN
The Lobos have won 26 straight games when shooting better than their opponent, including a perfect 12-0 in 2003-04. The last loss was at Tennessee on Jan. 4, 2003. UNM shot 45% (18-40) to the Vols’ 43% (22-51). The Lobos are 60-4 in such situations since 2000-01, 157-13 since the 1995-96 season.
HEALTH LEADS TO SUCCESS
An issue somewhat overlooked is that the 2004-05 Lobos are healthy. A year ago, Mark Walters was recuperating from a torn ACL that never fully healed until this past summer; certainly his play so far illuminates that fact. Danny Granger was bothered by a nagging shoulder injury that required surgery during the offseason. And, Alfred Neale played through a pair of painful hernia injuries last season that also prompted two surgeries after the season.
SEASON NO. 102
The 2004-05 season is the 102nd in school history. The Lobos first laced up the hightops on Feb. 2, 1900, when they lost 8-6 to the Albuquerque Guards. While this season is actually the 105th anniversary of that inaugural year, UNM did not field a team for various reasons in 1900-01, 1903-04, 1917-18 and 1920-21.
The Lobos have been on the hardwoods continuously since the 1921-22 season and have compiled an all-time record of 1,216-961 (.558). New Mexico was 418-495 (.458) from 1900-62, but has gone 798-466 (.630) over the past 42-plus seasons, an average of nearly 19 wins per year. The Lobos have made 26 trips to the postseason during that span, including 10 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and 16 showings in the NIT.
LOBOS PREDICTED FOR 4TH-PLACE FINISH IN MOUNTAIN WEST
New Mexico was picked to finish fourth in the 2004-05 Mountain West Conference race during the league’s preseason media gathering Oct. 24, in Denver. Voters were a combination of head coaches and media. It’s the highest predicted finish for the Lobos since they were selected to place second behind Utah in the inaugural MWC season of 1999-2000. UNM was picked to finish seventh each of the past two seasons.
GRANGER NAMED MWC’S TOP RETURNING PLAYER
The MWC head coaches and the media that cover the loop picked UNM senior forward Danny Granger as the league’s top returning player. The 6-8 All-America candidate led the conference in scoring last year, averaging 19.5 ppg. He also led UNM in rebounding (9.0 rpg), steals (29) and blocked shots (31).
PERSONNEL PICTURE
The Lobos return eight lettermen, including four starters, from last year’s team that finished 14-14. Sean Phaler, a redshirt last season, gives the Lobos nine players total returning. The biggest loss from a year ago is Javin Tindall. Tindall was second on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) and 3-pt. FG% (41.9%). He led the team in assists (98) and FT% (83.1%) and tied a school record with nine 3-pt. FGs at UNLV.
It’s still a young team as the only players with more than one year of experience at UNM are juniors David Chiotti, Jeff Hart and Mark Walters.
Additional lettermen not returning are 6-2 guard Ryan Ashcraft, 6-2 guard Lenny Miles, 6-2 guard Collins Ferris, 6-6 forward Mikal Monette and 6-8 forward Justin Benson. Ashcraft was a senior who graduated from UNM in May, while Miles, Ferris, Monette and Benson all transferred.
McKay and his staff welcome six new faces to the team in 2004-05, one junior college transfer (Kris Collins) and five freshmen (Tony Danridge, Blake Harden, Bambale Osby, Darren Prentice and Chad Toppert).
TRYING TO REVERSE SOME TRENDS
UNM has had four straight sub-.500 seasons in Mountain West Conference play, finishing 6-8 in both 2000-01 and 2001-02, 4-10 in 2002-03 and 5-9 last season. New Mexico had previously not had a losing record in league games since 1983. The Lobos have not had four straight losing seasons in conference play since 1980-83.
THE PIT
The 2004-05 season marks the 39th year of basketball in The Pit/Bob King Court, which was completed in December of 1966. UNM has an all-time mark of 545-132 (80%) in the building that resides 37 feet below street level. The Lobos have had a winning record in The Pit in 37 of their 38 years as tenants and tore off a school-record 41-game home winning streak from 1996-98. Since the beginning of the 1995-96 season, the Lobos are 146-30 (83%) at home.
POSTSEASON PERENNIALS
Although there has been void of postseason play in consecutive seasons for the first time in more than 20 years, UNM has appeared in the NCAA Tournament or NIT seven of the past nine years and 18 times in the last 21 seasons, dating to 1983-84. The Lobos participated in the NIT from 2000-02, advancing to the second round in 2000 and the quarterfinals in 2001. The Lobos have also made seven NCAA Tournament appearances since 1991, including a school-record four straight from 1996-99, moving to the second round each time.
NCAA TOURNAMENT RETURNS
UNM will again play host to men’s NCAA Tournament games when the 2005 Albquerque Regional comes to The Pit. New Mexico hosts two regional semifinal games on Thursday, March 24, and the final on Saturday, March 26. The winner advances to the Final Four in St. Louis. It’s the ninth time Albuquerque has hosted NCAA men’s action since 1968.
New Mexico is in a stretch where it is hosting NCAA competition for five consecutive years. The NCAA Men’s First and Second Rounds were here in 2002 followed by the women’s first and second rounds and the Midwest Regional in 2003 and the first and second rounds last season. The women’s West Regional will be here in March of 2006.
EARLY SIGNEES
The University of New Mexico inked four during the November signing period. They are Joel Box (F, 6-8, 250) from Rockford, Ill., and John Wood Community College in Quincy, Ill., Daniel Faris (C, 6-9, 225) from Albuquerque Eldorado High School, Justin Holt (G/F, 6-7, 205) from Tacoma, Wash., and Indian Hills (Iowa) CC and Anthony Teague (G, 6-5, 190) from Cleveland, Ohio, and Dodge City (Kan.) CC.
2003-04 REVIEW
The University of New Mexico finished its 101st season of men’s basketball with a 14-14 overall record, the 20th time in the past 21 years that UNM has posted a .500 record or better.
Sitting at 13-8 following an 87-75 win over Wyoming on Feb. 9, New Mexico lost six of its last seven contests to miss postseason play for the second straight year, something that hasn’t happened since a four-year drought between 1980-83.
The Lobos fell to UNLV 55-53 in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Tournament, a troubling loss since UNM led for all but 41 seconds. New Mexico was eliminated in the first round of the tournament for the third straight year.
After going 10-18 in 2002-03, the Lobos avoided consecutive losing seasons for what would have been only the second time in more than four decades. New Mexico was 6-20 in 1979-80 and 11-15 in 1980-81. Prior to that skid was eight straight sub-.500 records between 1955-62. The Lobos have only had four losing campaigns since former head coach Bob King arrived in Albuquerque prior to the 1962-63 season.
The Lobos surpassed their 2002-03 win total by four games and their conference total by one (4-10). UNM finished 14-4 in The Pit, winning five of its last six and 12 of 14.
UNM tied San Diego State for fifth place in the MWC with a 5-9 mark. The Lobos were picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll.
UNM had a full roster the final 22 games when Danny Granger (Bradley) and Troy DeVries (Portland State) became eligible as mid-season transfers. UNM was 11-11 following their arrival, 11-2 in The Pit.
At 19.5 points a game, Granger led the MWC in scoring and was named first team all-Mountain West Conference. The transfer became just the second Lobo in the past 33 years to average more than 19 points and 9 rebounds for an entire season. Luc Longley (19.1 and 9.2) did so in 1991. Willie Long (23.9/12.9 in 1970 and 23.9/10.6 in `71) and Mel Daniels (21.2/10.3 in 1966 and 21.5/11.6 in `67) each did it twice, while Ira Harge was the first to accomplish the feat in 1963 (21.1 and 13.2).
Granger was fifth in rebounding (9.0) and was also ranked among the top-15 in six other categories for conference-only games: FG percentage, 3-point FGs made, assists, FT percentage, steals and blocks. He became the first Lobo since Kenny Thomas in 1997-98 to record four straight double-doubles in one season.