Jan. 26, 2005
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The New Mexico Lobos return home for the first time in three weeks when they entertain UNLV Saturday night. Tipoff is 7:07 p.m., Mountain Time from The Pit/Bob King Court. UNM’s last home game was Jan. 8 against Wyoming.
Saturday’s game will be televised live on SportsWest with local availability on KRQE in Albuquerque. The Lobos stay home to face San Diego State Monday at 7 p.m.
Injuries, aches and pains are creeping into the Lobo camp. Leading scorer and rebounder Danny Granger has been sidelined the past three games – all Lobo losses – after having arthroscopic surgery Jan. 10 to repair torn cartilage in his left knee. In Monday’s 68-53 loss at BYU, junior post David Chiotti aggravated a chronic hip flexor and did not play the final 26 minutes. Then, at the very end of the game, junior point guard Kris Collins’ left shoulder popped out (then back in) of its socket. All three are day-to-day.
New Mexico is 14-5 overall and 1-3 in the MWC after losing at BYU. Playing its third straight game without Granger, the Lobos have lost three straight since he went down in the first half of UNM’s 89-75 victory over Wyoming on Jan. 8.
Despite the recent setbacks, a win Saturday would give UNM its best 20-game record since being 16-4 in 1998-99.
Before the loss to fifth-ranked Wake Forest on Dec. 22, the Lobos won their first nine home games for the first time since 1998-99 when they took 16 in a row. They are 12-1 in The Pit this year and have captured 24 of their past 27 home games.
The preseason pick to win the league, UNLV is 8-8 overall and 2-2 in the MWC after sweeping Colorado State and Wyoming at home.
The Rebels finished 18-13 last year, losing to Utah in the championship game of the MWC Tournament and at Boise State in the first round of the NIT. UNLV finished fourth in the MWC regular season at 7-7.
First-year head coach Lon Kruger is bringing his second team to The Pit, but it has been 21 years since his initial visit. Gary Colson’s Lobos defeated Kruger’s Texas-Pan American squad 75-63 on Jan. 5, 1984. New Mexico has equaled last year’s win total of 14. The Lobos’ 14th and final win came on Feb. 28 in their 25th game of the year, 72-60 against San Diego State in The Pit.
After dropping 29 consecutive games away from The Pit, UNM is 2-4 on the road this year. However, the Lobos are in the throes of a 22-game losing streak in regular-season conference road affairs, and it’s 25 in a row when you include the MWC Tournament the past three years. The last win was 70-64 at Colorado State on Jan. 28, 2002.
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 121-126, 38-37 at New Mexico. While at UNM, McKay is 36-12 at home, 28-14 in non-conference games and 26-7 in non-league games at The Pit. He is 10-22 in MWC games, 10-5 at home and 0-17 on the road.
McKay is 0-9 in his career vs. UNLV, the only MWC foe he has yet to beat in his coaching career. He is 0-5 while at New Mexico, including 0-2 in The Pit.
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.
THE NUMBERS WITH AND WITHOUT DANNY – As expected, UNM’s statistics with All-America candidate Danny Granger in the lineup versus his sitting on the bench are dramatically different, the most glaring being the record: 14-2 with DG, 0-3 without.
QUICK HITS
After shooting a combined 36.1% (39-108) at Utah and BYU, the Lobos have dropped from 1st to 8th in the nation in FG percentage at 50.8% through games of Jan. 24
Through games of Monday, Jan. 24, Danny Granger remains the only player in NCAA Div. I basketball who is averaging at least 19 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 1.8 assists a game…here’s how Granger ranks in the conference and nationally:
Scoring – 19.1 – 2nd (MWC) – T35th (NCAA)
Rebounds – 8.9 – T2nd (MWC) – T33rd (NCAA)
Steals – 2.44 – 1st (MWC) – 33rd (NCAA)
Blocks – 2.31 – 2nd (MWC) – T36th (NCAA)
FG% – 57.1 – 9th (MWC) – 41st (NCAA)
3-Pt. FG% – 54.2 – 1st (MWC)
Interestingly, of the top-40 players in the nation in steals, Granger is the tallest at 6-8. Before the injury, Granger had increased his shooting percentage to 57.1% by converting 26 of 38 shots (68.4%) his past 4 games. His 3-point percentage is now a team-high 54.2% thanks to 9 of 11 accuracy (82%) in his last 3 games. He also had 12 blocks in his last 3 contests and ranks 10th all-time at UNM with 68.
After averaging 19.5 points and 9.0 rebounds a year ago, Granger is attempting to become just the third Lobo to average more than 19 points and 9 rebounds twice in a career, joining Mel Daniels (1966-67) and Willie Long (1970-71).
The Lobos are 3-6 the past two seasons without Danny Granger, 25-13 when he is available. Granger became eligible on Dec. 21, 2003, after transferring from Bradley.
With an inside presence lacking on the recent road trip to Utah and BYU, the Utes’ Andrew Bogut (24 points and 20 rebounds) and the Cougars’ Derek Dawes (14 and 10) combined for 38 points and 30 rebounds
Senior G Troy DeVries ranks No. 1 at UNM for career 3-point FG accuracy at 46.2%…he has made 110 of 238 treys in his 41-game Lobo career…Willie Banks is 2nd at 44.1% (78-177)…DeVries currently ranks 1st in the MWC, averaging 2.95 treys a game
DeVries is 11 of 16 from 3-point the past 4 games and 26 of 43 (60%) the past 7 games…overall, he ranks 1st in the MWC and 11th nationally, canning 47.9% of his 3s on the season
New Mexico is 23-3 at home since Danny Granger and Troy DeVries joined the team on Dec. 21, 2003
Opponents are shooting just 31.4% from 3-point range this year, and only 27.6% (21-76) the past 5 games…Utah was 1 of 8, an opponent low this season
The Lobos have only played two games this year decided by five points or less…both were losses on the road, 79-75 at Oregon and 64-62 at Air Force
The six-game winning streak from Nov. 27-Dec. 18 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 Lobos have shot 50% or better 11 times this season, including 69.2% at Air Force on Jan. 15, tying for the 5th-best percentage in school history…UNM has eclpsed 60% five times this year
Head coach Ritchie McKay used the same starting lineup in the first 16 games of the season…that’s quite a change from his first two Lobo teams as he used nine different quintets last season and a whopping 16 sets in 2002-03…the last time New Mexico employed the same five starters for more than 20 games was 2000-01 when Eric Chatfield, Ruben Douglas, Marlon Parmer, Brian Smith and Wayland White drew the nod 22 times
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
The Lobos lost at Air Force 64-62 despite tying for the 5th-best shooting game in school history (69.2%) and outrebounding the Falcons 28-9…the Lobos made 27 of 39 shots, the best accuracy since 36 of 52 – also 69.2% – at BYU on Feb. 27, 1997…turnovers were the story as New Mexico committed 23…Air Force had a whopping 31-8 scoring edge in points off of turnovers, including 20-0 in the first half
New Mexico has limited opponents to 60 points or less seven times 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 472 straight games, the 12th-longest active streak in NCAA Div. I hoops…UNLV is 1st at more than 580
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…after the win at UT-Arlington, the Lobos registered back-to-back road victories for the first time since taking three straight in 2000-01
The Lobos saw three winning streaks come to an end in the 81-64 setback to No. 5 Wake Forest on Dec. 22: six straight wins overall, nine straight at home and 14 consecutive non-conference victories at The Pit
BYU RECAP – Mike Rose came off the bench to score 21 points and lead BYU to a 68-53 win over New Mexico. The Cougars registered their first conference win of the season and snapped a three-game conference losing streak. The Lobos have now lost three straight after starting the season 14-2.
BYU broke open a four-point game with a 10-2 run midway through the second half to take a 52-40 lead. The Lobos never got closer than 10 the rest of the way. Rose hit five 3-pointers, four in the second half. Keena Young and Derek Dawes each added 14 points for the Cougars.
Alfred Neale led the Lobos with 12 points who were again hurt by the injury bug as junior post David Chiotti missed the last 26 minutes due to a hip flexor.
BYU took a 33-25 lead at the half following a 9-3 run, and the Cougars scored nine of the first 10 points in the second half. Dawes had a game high 10 rebounds to help BYU to a 40-34 rebounding advantage.
BYU POSTGAME NOTES
New Mexico has lost 3 in a row overall, 5 straight to BYU in Provo and 25 consecutive road games against MWC opponents…the Cougars have won 10 of the past 12 contests against UNM
The Lobos had season-lows for points (53) and FG accuracy (32.7%, 18-55)
If the injury situation wasn’t bad enough for UNM with leading scorer and rebounder Danny Granger out, 6-9 junior post David Chiotti was limited to just 11 first-half minutes after aggravating a hip flexor…Chiotti came into the game averaging 10.4 points and 5.7 rebounds…he finished with 4 points and 4 rebounds
With Granger and Chiotti out, the Lobo roster consisted of two seniors, three juniors, one sophomore and five freshmen
UNM scored 25 points in the first half, a season-low for any half this year
The Lobos fell behind 42-26 early in the second half, but put together a 12-0 run to trim the BYU lead to 42-38…the Cougars answered with a 13-4 burst to go back up 55-42
New Mexico made 20 of 37 FTs (54%) on the Utah-BYU swing
The Lobos are now 2-4 on the road this season and are averaging 66 points in those six games…that compares to 85 ppg and a 12-1 record in The Pit
ALMOST A 16-0 START – Had it not been for a couple of poor-shooting second halves, the Lobos could have started 16-0. On Nov. 22 at Oregon, UNM led 43-41 at halftime. The Lobos trailed by nine twice in the second half, but made it a 2-point game with 16 seconds remaining before falling 79-75. New Mexico hung around despite shooting just 26% (8-31) after halftime, including 22% (4-18) from 3-point.
The Lobos were held to 32.8% accuracy (20-61) by No. 5 Wake Forest in The Pit on Dec. 22, but it was a 4-point game with 11:39 remaining and UNM trailed by just seven at the 8:23 mark. The Demon Deacons eventually won 81-64 to halt UNM’s 6-game winning streak.
NICE NUMBERS…
The Lobos are shooting 50.8% from the field…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..the UNM record is 54.5% set in 1988-89
UNM is averaging 79.0 points per game compared to just 69.6 ppg last year…the last Lobo team to average at least 80 for the season was the 1986-87 squad at 80.8 ppg
DOMINATING AT HOME – Before the loss to Wake Forest, the Lobos had won their first nine home games for the first time since the 1998-99 season when they took 16 in a row. They are 12-1 in The Pit this year and have captured 24 of their past 27 at home.
SHOOT BETTER AND WIN…MOST OF THE TIME – The Lobos had won 30 straight games when shooting better than their opponent until the loss at Air Force on Jan. 15. The previous loss was at Tennessee on Jan. 4, 2003. UNM shot 45% (18-40) to the Vols’ 43% (22-51). New Mexico is 64-5 in such situations since 2000-01, 161-14 since the 1995-96 season.
HEALTH LEADS TO SUCCESS – An issue somewhat overlooked is that the 2004-05 Lobos are healthy, Danny Granger’s Jan. 10 knee surgery notwithstanding. 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. 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.