March 14, 2005
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
BACK TO THE DANCE – After a six-year absence, the University of New Mexico returns to the NCAA Tournament when it meets the Villanova Wildcats Friday in a first round game in Nashville, Tenn. Tipoff is 30 minutes after the Florida-Ohio matchup, which starts at 11:25 a.m., so approximately 2:15 Central Time. The game will be televised locally by KRQE-TV, Albuquerque’s CBS affiliate. Villanova is ranked 22nd in the latest USA Today/ESPN Coaches’ poll.
The Lobos are 26-6 and the 12th seed in the Syracuse Regional, while Villanova is the No. 5 seed and comes in with a 22-7 ledger. The winner will face the victor of No. 4 Florida and No. 13 Ohio Sunday at either 1:15 or 3:45 p.m. Central Time. Sunday’s winner will advance to the Carrier Dome in Syracuse for regional competition March 25 and 27.
The Wildcats are making their 26th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and first since the 1999 team lost to Mississippi in a first round game. Villanova is 37-25 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including the team’s lone national championship in 1985.
The Lobos and Wildcats are meeting for the first time, although playing a Big East school in the NCAA Tournament is not new for New Mexico. UNM is 0-3 against the Big East, being eliminated in the second round three of its past four appearances: Georgetown in 1996, Syracuse in 1998 and eventual national champ UConn in 1999 in the Lobos’ most recent NCAA Tournament game. The Lobos are 1-16 all-time against Big East competition, the lone win coming against the Orangemen in the 1967 NIT in New York.
This is the first NCAA appearance for UNM’s Ritchie McKay, either as a player, assistant coach or head coach. He is in his ninth season overall and third year at New Mexico. McKay did have a 2-1 record in the 1999 NIT while at Colorado State.
New Mexico enters the field of 65 as one of the hottest teams in the country and also as one of the most improved. The Lobos have won nine straight, currently tied with Louisville and Wisconsin-Milwaukee for the nation’s third-longest streak.
UNM is coming off a three-game sweep of BYU, San Diego State and 15th-ranked Utah in last week’s Mountain West Conference Tournament in Denver. UNM’s last loss was Feb. 7 at Wyoming. The Lobos have won five straight games away from Albuquerque, a feat last achieved in 1977-78 when they won six in a row.
UNM has won 12 more games than last year, the second-best improvement in school history. The Lobos have actually surpassed their win total from the past two seasons combined as they went 24-32 in 2002-03 and 2003-04..
The Lobos’ 9-game winning streak began against Air Force on Feb. 14 when the quintet of David Chiotti, Troy DeVries, Danny Granger, Alfred Neale and Mark Walters started together for the first time this season. They haven’t lost since.
The 9-game skein is the longest for a Ritchie McKay-coached team and the Lobos’ best run since nine straight in 2000-01. The last 10-game winning streak for New Mexico was Feb. 10-March 15, 1996, during the end of a 28-5 season. That streak was snapped by Allen Iverson and Georgetown in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Richmond.
UNM enters the Big Dance having won 12 of 13 since 6-8 senior standout Danny Granger returned to the lineup Jan. 29 against UNLV. Granger, the MVP in last week’s MWC Tournament after averaging 24.3 points and 11 rebounds in three games, was felled in the first half of the Wyoming game on Jan. 8 and had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee two days later. He missed three conference road games between Jan. 15-24.
How valuable is Danny Granger to UNM? The Lobos are 26-3 when he plays (13-1 against Mountain West Conference competition), the only losses coming at Oregon, at home to 5th-ranked Wake Forest and at Wyoming. However, New Mexico was 0-3 with him out of the lineup. UNM has lost just once since Dec. 22 with Granger playing, a record of 16-1.
Picked to finish fourth in the MWC preseason, New Mexico finished second behind Utah at 10-4. The 10 wins came on the heels of four straight losing records in conference play and are the most since 11 victories in the Western Athletic Conference in 1998.
NEW MEXICO’S POSTSEASON HISTORY: 27th APPEARANCE IN PAST 42 YEARS – Although there has been void of postseason play in recent seasons, UNM is making its 27th postseason appearance since reaching the NIT championship game in 1964.
The Lobos are 6-11 in 10 previous NCAA showings and have appeared in the NIT 16 times where they have a 16-17 record. UNM participated in the NIT from 2000-02, advancing to the second round in 2000 and the quarterfinals in 2001.
New Mexico first danced in the NCAAs in 1968 under head coach Bob King. The Lobos advanced twice under Norm Ellenberger in 1974 and `78. UNM’s best representation came in the 1990s with Dave Bliss. New Mexico qualified seven times in nine years between 1991-99, falling in the second round each season between 1996-99.
The Lobos’ best showing in the NCAA Tournament was in 1974 when they moved to a regional semifinal, however, there were only 25 teams in the field at that time and only one win was required to advance. UNM lost to San Francisco 64-61 in that semifinal in Tucson.
UNM NITTY GRITTY
Has a 9-game winning streak and has won 12 of 13 since Jan. 29
26-3 with Danny Granger, 0-3 when he was out with an injury
16-1 with Danny Granger since Dec. 22
Granger was named MWC Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com
8-5 away from The Pit, 8-2 with Danny Granger
Won 5 straight games away from Albuquerque for the first time since 1977-78
All five Lobo starters average in double figures led by Granger’s 19 ppg
UNM was 3-4 in MWC road games, 3-1 with Danny Granger
A 12-win improvement from last year and 16 games better than two years ago
The 26 wins are the 2nd-most in school history, trailing only 1995-96 (28-5)
10 conference wins for the first time in seven years, since the 1997-98 squad finished 11-5 in the Mountain Division of the Western Athletic Conference
Won consecutive MWC road games for the first time in five years, since winning three straight (at San Diego State, Air Force and BYU) in 1999-2000
18-1 in The Pit this year – including nine straight wins since Dec. 28 – with the only loss being dealt by nationally-ranked Wake Forest…18 home wins are the most since the 1998-99 team finished 19-1…UNM has also captured 30 of its past 33 games at Bob King Court
HEAD COACH Ritchie McKay – Ritchie McKay is completing 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.
At 26-6, McKay has the highest season win total of his nine-year coaching career. He was 19-11 at Colorado State in 1998-99.
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 133-127, 50-38 at New Mexico. While at UNM, McKay is 42-12 at home, 31-15 in non-conference games, 26-7 in non-league games at The Pit and 5-8 in road/neutral games. He is 19-23 in MWC games, 16-5 at home and 3-18 on the road.
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.
Senior Danny Granger eanred the MWC Tournament MVP award. |
ROUGH START FOR McKAY AT UNM – It was rather challenging for head coach Ritchie McKay in his first two seasons at New Mexico. In his second game as Lobos head coach on Nov. 25, 2002, starting senior point guard Senque (sen-Q) Carey suffered a freak spinal cord injury in the first half against Northwestern (La.) State. He was partially paralyzed for several weeks before regaining full movement, but was unable to resume his playing career. Carey’s absence left New Mexico with just eight scholarship players and two walk-ons. Of those 10 players, seven were in their first year at UNM.
Sophomores Jamaal Williams (Washington) and Chad Bell (Nevada) transferred after the 2002-03 season, leaving New Mexico with just 10 scholarship players for the 2003-04 season. Mark Walters suffered a torn ACL in May of 2003 and never fully recovered until this season. In August of 2003, Billy Feeney, a promising 6-9 sophomore who had transferred from Portland State, took his own life.
The elimination of the 5/8 rule really helped New Mexico last year as it was able to add five scholarship players, reaching the ful complement of 13.
POSTSEASON HONORS ROLL IN – The Lobos were well represented on the all-Mountain West Team as all five current starters received mention:
First Team: Danny Granger (2nd straight season)
Third Team: David Chiotti, Troy DeVries
Honorable Mention: Alfred Neale, Mark Walters
Also, in addition to being named MVP of the MWC Tournament, Granger was named first team all-district by the United States Basketball Writers and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS – The Wildcats had won eight straight and 10 of 11 before fallling to West Virginia 78-76 in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament. The Wildcats tied for third in the Big East with an 11-5 record. They are 11-2 in non-conference games and, like New Mexico, 8-5 away from home.
The all-underclassman starting lineup is led by three juniors who average more than 15 points a game: guard Allan Ray (17.3 ppg), forward Curtis Sumpter (16.1 ppg) and guard Randy Foye (15.1). Each of the three players merited All-Big East status for their performance this season. Ray and Sumpter were second team selections, while Foye was a third team pick. Foye was also named to the Big East Championship all-tournament team after averaging 22.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in Villanova’s games against Pittsburgh and West Virginia.
Villanova’s defense has been formidable this season, and the Wildcats enter the NCAA Tournament ranked 11th in the country with 5.9 blocks per game. Villanova is allowing just 62.3 points per game, and has a +11.7 scoring margin for the season. Those figures rank 35th and 19th in the nation, respectively.
The key statistic appears to be the prowess of New Mexico’s shooting against Villanova’s defense. UNM is among the nation’s leaders in FG% (50.0) and 3-point pct. (40.0). The Wildcats are limiting opponents to just 39.8% accuracy from the floor and 31.9% from beyond the arc.
Villanova’s NCAA resume is an impressive one, as the squad’s 22 wins are the most since the 1996-97 team won 24 games. The Wildcats are ranked No. 15 in the RPI standings, and have compiled a 22-7 record against the eighth-most difficult schedule in the country. Overall, 10 of Villanova’s 22 victories have come against teams in the top 100 of the RPI, including six against the top 50 and two against the top 25 (No. 1 Kansas, No. 11 Boston College.
COMMON OPPONENTS – The two teams do not share any common opponents this season.
LOBOS VS. NCAA TOURNAMENT TEAMS – New Mexico faced just two teams that are playing in the NCAA Tournament field. The Lobos lost to Wake Forest at home and beat Utah twice for a 2-1 overall mark against tournament teams.
NEW MEXICO VS. RANKED TEAMS – Same as above. UNM lost to 5th-ranked Wake Forest at home (81-64) and beat Utah twice, 65-54 in The Pit when the Utes were No. 13, and 60-56 in the MWC Tournament final when they were 15th.
Junior David Chiotti looks to lead the Lobos in thier first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1999. |
LOBOS IN NASHVILLE – It’s been awhile since New Mexico played a basketball game in the land of the Opry. The date was Dec. 19, 1956, when host Vanderbilt took an 81-59 victory.
DOUBLE YOUR FUN – Both the New Mexico men’s and women’s teams captured conference tournament titles in Denver last week, the first time that’s happened in school history. The Lobo women (26-4) are making their fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They play Purdue Sunday in a first-round game in Knoxville, Tenn., which is just 180 miles from where the men are playing. The only other time that both the men and women played in the NCAA Tournament in the same year was 1998.
A BOWL AND TWO BIDS – New Mexico is one of 11 schools in the nation to have its football team play in a bowl game and also have both its men’s and women’s basketball teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament during the 2004-05 academic season. The others are Boston College, Connecticut, Iowa State, LSU, Minesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech and Utah.
NOT MUCH EXPERIENCE IN THE NCAAs – Only two Lobos have enjoyed the thrill of the NCAA Tournament, and both are assistant coaches. While at Eastern Michigan, Brad Soucie (sue-see) set a first-round record with eight 3-pointers in a loss to Pittsburgh in 1986. Current Lobo assistant Duane Broussard was an assistant at Bradley from 1993-02 when the Braves made six postseason appearances, including one trip to the NCAAs in 1996.
NOTES DURING THE 9-GAME WINNING STREAK
Ritchie McKay has used the same five starters: David Chiotti, Troy DeVries, Danny Granger, Alfred Neale and Mark Walters…that quintet is 10-0 all-time at UNM, including one win last season
The above fivesome has scored 90% (600 of 668) of the Lobos’ points, grabbed 88% of the individual rebounds (204 of 232) and played 82% (1,480 of 1,800) of the team’s minutes
New Mexico won the first eight games by at least 10 points and the overall winning margin is 12 points
UNM has limited opponents to 41.2% (201-488) shooting and 32.2% (57-177) from 3-point
The Lobos have shot 51.8% (232-448) from the field, including 43.9% (75-171) from 3-point
UTAH/MWC TOURNAMENT RECAP – The selection committee can stop worrying about New Mexico. A lot of NCAA tournament teams out there probably ought to start, though. The Lobos made their invitation to the NCAAs a formality Saturday night, getting 28 points, 11 rebounds and four straight clutch free throws from Danny Granger in a 60-56 victory over No. 15 Utah in the Mountain West Conference championship game.
Playing as though their season was at stake – even though it probably wasn’t by this point – the second-seeded Lobos jumped on Andrew Bogut and the top-seeded Utes early and kept them an arm’s distance away most of the way.
And when Bogut (19 points, 16 rebounds) triggered a 9-2 run that gave the Utes a 49-48 lead with 3:35 left – their first since midway through the first half – New Mexico responded. Alfred Neale slammed home a miss for a 50-49 lead. David Chiotti made a move that felled Bogut and led to an easy layup.
After two Utah free throws made it 52-51, Granger made two huge baskets, forcing a shot over a defender under the basket for one score, then dribbling to the baseline and shaking loose from defender Marc Jackson for an open 15 footer that he buried for a 56-51 lead. Bogut responded with a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left, but Granger countered by sinking four free throws down the stretch to keep it a two-possession game.
When the buzzer sounded, center Bambale Osby sprinted off the bench and did two handsprings – cheerleader style – then the Lobos went into the crowd to celebrate along with the thousands who followed them up Interstate 25 to watch them earn their first NCAA bid since 1999. The win capped off a day that began when New Mexico beat Utah for the women’s championship.
For the men, it was the ninth straight win and 12th in the last 13. Two of those wins have come against Utah, the league’s regular-season champ.
But the Mountain West’s biggest threat could very well be the Lobos, who won their first conference tourney since 1996 – when Dave Bliss was coach and they played in the Western Athletic Conference.
They were on the tournament bubble because of their low RPI rating (85th) and ultra-weak strength of schedule (298), but have more than put to rest all those misgivings over a torrid stretch that began with a win over UNLV at The Pit on Jan. 29.
Granger scored 18 of his points in the first half and well outplayed Bogut, who was “held” to just 19 points by a defense that fronted him with Chiotti, then brought help from the back-side forward.
Despite that success, the Lobos couldn’t build their lead into double digits and when the Utes shut down Granger through most of the second half, it was clear this one would come down to the wire. It did – but it was Granger, not Bogut, who wound up holding the trophy and being named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
The Lobos, who were serenaded by chants of “Never Rated!” from Utah fans in the pregame warmups, stayed around to cut down the nets. And by then, it was Lobo fans doing the chanting – shouting “Overrated!” and “NIT!” to the Utes, who were in their locker while coach Ritchie McKay and the rest were on the ladder with the scissors.
MWC TOURNAMENT NOTES
The 4-point win over Utah is just New Mexico’s fourth game this season decided by five points or less…UNM is 2-2 in those four games
New Mexico has won five straight games away from Albuquerque for the first time in 27 years and is 8-5 on the road and in neutral games in 2004-05…that’s the most wins since the 1997-98 team finished 9-7…UNM entered the current season with a 29-game losing streak in contests away from Albuquerque
Tournament MVP Danny Granger scored a season-high 28 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season, 20th while at UNM and 31st in his collegiate career…Granger had 18 points and 6 boards in the first half
Granger scored the Lobos’ final 8 points, including 4 straight FTs (both 1 and 1 situations) in the final 19.4 seconds to secure the victory
Granger finished the tournament with 73 points (24.3 ppg) and 33 rebounds (11 rpg)…he shot 57% (24-42) from the field and 91% (21-23) from the line, plus he had 11 assists, 9 blocks and 5 steals
Utah suffered two losses in its last 24 games, both coming against the Lobos…UNM won 65-54 in The Pit on Feb. 21, snapping the Utes’ 18-game winning streak
The lineup of David Chiotti, Troy DeVries, Danny Granger, Alfred Neale and Mark Walters has started every game during the 9-game winning streak…the quintet was responsible for all 60 points against Utah and all five are still averaging in double figures for the season
The Lobos are 12-0 this season when holding opponents to less than 60 points
New Mexico won its third conference tournament title…it also won Western Athletic Conference championships in 1993 over UTEP at Salt Lake City and against Utah in Albuquerque in 1996
The Lobos opened with an 11-5 lead before Utah went on a 12-0 run for a 17-11 advantage…UNM’s scoreless drought was 7:13 (from 15:23 to 8:10) when it missed 7 shots and committed 4 turnovers…however, New Mexico outscored the Utes 19-7 the rest of the half for a 30-24 lead at the break…Granger scored 13 points during that run
UNM trailed just once in the 2nd half at 49-48, but Alfred Neale’s slam off a missed shot on the next possession gave the lead back to the Lobos and they never trailed again
New Mexico was 7 of 18 from 3-point vs. Utah and made 26 of 55 (47%) in the tournament
Alfred Neale scored 41 points in the tournament, drilling 9 of 14 shots from beyond the arc
New Mexico has won 21 straight games when leading at halftime and is 25-1 overall this season…the only loss came at Oregon when UNM led 43-41, but lost 79-75 in the fifth game of the season
Troy DeVries hit a 3-pointer in his 29th straight game, the 2nd-longest streak in school history…Ruben Douglas is 1st at 35…he was 3-8 for the Utah game and now has 147 for his career, tying Lamont Long for 8th all-time at UNM…DeVries has 93 treys this season, No. 5 in the UNM record book