Dec. 7, 2005
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A big challenge looms this weekend as New Mexico faces nationally-ranked and undefeated Washington Saturday in the first game of the 12th John R. Wooden Classic. Tipoff is 1 p.m., Mountain Time from the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim. The game will be broadcast nationally over Superstation WGN. KRQE-TV in Albuquerque will pick up the feed. UCLA and Nevada meet in the second game. The Lobos’ next home game is next Tuesday against New Mexico State.
New Mexico is 4-2 after falling at New Mexico State last Saturday, 67-61. UNM is 4-0 at home, but 0-2 on the road.
The high-scoring Huskies are currently 7-0 and ranked No. 13 in this week’s AP poll, 12th by the coaches. UW is coming off an impressive 99-95 victory over sixth-ranked Gonzaga, extending the nation’s longest current home court winning streak to 29 games.
There is a 41.3-point disparity in Washington’s scoring average (98.6 ppg) and UNM’s scoring defense (57.3 ppg). The Huskies have scored at least 85 points in every game this season, while the Lobos have allowed more than 70 points just once. UW’s winning margin has been a remarkable 28.9 points in its seven wins, including an 85-74 decision over Mountain West Conference member Air Force in Seattle on Nov. 15.
Washington is off to its best start since the 1990-91 team also began 7-0. The Huskies have five players averaging in double figures. They are shooting 52.3% from the floor, 76.3% from the line and are outrebounding opponents by more than seven boards a game. UW has also forced 166 turnovers, an average of nearly 24 a game. The Lobos are averaging just 9.8 turnovers, third-fewest among 326 NCAA Div. I schools through games of Dec. 5.
New Mexico has lost five straight games to Pac-10 competition since January of 2001, twice each to Cal and Stanford and last year at Oregon. The last victory came against Washington (78-52) in The Pit on Jan. 2, 2000.
SECOND APPEARANCE FOR LOBOs IN WOODEN CLASSIC – This is New Mexico’s second appearance in the Wooden Classic. On Dec. 6, 1997, eighth-ranked UNM was foiled by No. 15 UCLA 69-58. It was the Lobos’ first loss of the season after a 5-0 start. That was also UNM’s highest ranking since the 1977-78 season.
New Mexico went on to finish 24-8 in 1997-98, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Syracuse in Lexington, Ky.
NEW MEXICO-WASHINGTON TIES & SERIES NOTES – Although the Lobos and Huskies have only met four times with each team winning twice on its home floor, there are plenty of other sidebars:
UNM head coach Ritchie McKay was a four-year letterman at Seattle Pacific from 1984-87…McKay was a graduate assistant coach at UW during the 1988-89 season under Andy Russo and an assistant to Huskies head coach Bob Bender for two seasons (1994-95)
Lobo assistant coach Scott Didrickson is a 1991 graduate of Mercer Island (Wash.) HS and was a four-year letterman at Washington from 1992-95, playing for head coaches Lynn Nance and Bob Bender…he served as team captain his senior year…as a junior, Didrickson finished fourth in the Pac-10 in 3-point field goal percentage (41.2%), and he ranked among the top-10 at UW for career 3-pointers (55) and career 3-point FG percentage (36.2%) when his eligibility expired…he was named to the all-academic Pac-10 team in 1994 and graduated in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in History…Didrickson was an assistant coach at Mercer Island High School during the 1995-96 school year
Didrickson handled analyst duties for Husky radio broadcasts on KOMO in 1995-96 and 1996-97…he worked with current UW play-by-play man Bob Rondeau
UNM director of basketball of operations Grant Farmer is a 1993 graduate of Mercer Island HS…Farmer was a member of the Mercer Island team that captured the AAA state title in 1993
Washington senior forward Jamaal Williams signed with UNM and former head coach Fran Fraschilla out of Centennial HS in Corona, Calif…he spent his first two seasons at New Mexico (2001-02 and 2002-03) before transferring to UW…Williams started 17 of 56 games in his UNM career, totaling 532 points and 286 rebounds in two seasons…his collegiate career-highs came as a Lobo when he had 25 points and 15 rebounds off the bench at UNLV on Feb. 22, 2003
The Huskies, a No. 1 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament, lost to Louisville 93-79 in the semifinals of the Albuquerque Regional played in The Pit
Senque Carey spent two years at the University of Washington before transferring to UNM following the 1999-2000 season…he was named to the all-Pac-10 Freshman team in 1998-99, starting the final 16 games of the year as UW advanced to the NCAA Tournament…Carey’s collegiate playing career was cut short two games into his senior season at UNM after he suffered a spinal cord injury (Nov. 25, 2002) that left him paralyzed for nearly two weeks…he eventually regained full range of motion in his extremities and is now an assistant men’s basketball coach at Fresno State
The 1998-99 Lobos started 8-0, but all the games were at home…the first road game of the year was against UW at Key Arena on Christmas Eve…the Huskies bounced 11th-ranked UNM from the unbeaten ranks with a 70-61 win
OTHER WOODEN CLASSIC TIES – Nevada head coach Mark Fox is the younger brother of David Fox, who is in his ninth year at the University of New Mexico, serving as the primary academic advisor for the Lobo football team.
Chad Bell, currently a senior at Nevada, signed with UNM and former head coach Fran Fraschilla out of Westchester HS in Inglewood, Calif…he spent his first two seasons at New Mexico (2001-02 and 2002-03) before transferring…Bell started 19 of 56 games in his UNM career, totaling 130 points and 103 rebounds in two seasons
NEW MEXICO VS. RANKED TEAMS – The Lobos are 49-109 all-time against ranked opponents, 35-49 at home (33-28 in The Pit), 10-51 on the road and 4-9 on neutral floors.
UNM went 2-2 last year, taking out Utah twice (13th and 15th-ranked). The losses were at home to No. 5 Wake Forest (81-64) and to 22nd-ranked Villanova (55-47) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Nashville.
Head coach Ritchie McKay is 3-3 against ranked teams in his UNM career. The Lobos beat No. 22 Utah (76-69) during his first season and lost at 6th-ranked Wake Forest (70-61) in 2003-04.
The highest-ranked team New Mexico has defeated away from The Pit was No. 2 Arizona. The Lobos rang up a 70-68 upset in Tucson on Dec. 21, 1999, putting an end to the Wildcats’ 37-game home court winning sterak.
NEW MEXICO VS. THE PAC-10 – The Lobos have a 109-139 record against current members of the Pac-10 Conference. Most of those games were played against Arizona and Arizona State as the three schools shared conference affiliations for almost 40 years between 1931 and 1978.
New Mexico is 42-83 vs. Arizona, 46-37 vs. Arizona State, 1-3 vs. Cal, 5-2 vs. Oregon, 4-2 vs. Oregon State, 4-5 vs. USC, 1-2 vs. Stanford, 2-2 vs. UCLA and 2-1 vs. Washington State.
UNM hosts Pac-10 member Oregon in The Pit on Dec. 20.
WASHINGTON’S LORENZO ROMAR – Head coach Lorenzo Romar is in his fourth season at Washington and has directed the team to back-to-back NCAA Touranments in 2004 and 2005. He guided Washington to a 29-6 record in 2005, tying the 1938 squad for the highest win total in school history. UW finished second in the Pac-10 standings with a 14-4 mark, but won the Pac-10 Tournament.
After receiving their first ever No. 1 seed, the Huskies posted two NCAA Tournament victories and advanced to the Sweet 16. Romar was named the 2005 Pac-10 Coach of the Year and Black Coaches Association National Coach of the Year. He was rewarded following the 2005 campaign with an eight-year contract.
LOBO HEAD COACH Ritchie McKay – Ritchie McKay is his fourth season in charge of Lobo hoops and his 11th year as a collegiate head coach. He was named UNM’s 18th head coach on March 28, 2002.
He has a career record of 137-130, 54-41 at New Mexico. McKay is 46-12 at home, 35-18 in all non-conference games, 30-7 in non-league games at The Pit and 5-11 in road/neutral games. He is 19-23 in MWC games, 16-5 at home and 3-18 on the road.
The 26-7 record in 2004-05 is easily McKay’s best season, surpassing a 19-11 ledger at Colorado State in 1998-99. The Lobos won the MWC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999. It was McKay’s first trip to the Big Dance.
McKay had previous two-year stops at Portland State (1996-98), Colorado State (1998-2000) and Oregon State (2000-02).
ROUGH START FOR McKAY AT UNM – It was a daunting challenging for 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. Mark Walters suffered a torn ACL in May of 2003 and never fully recovered until the 2004-05 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 before the 2004-05 campaign as it was able to add five scholarship players, reaching the full complement of 13.
LOBOS PREDICTED FOR 5TH-PLACE FINISH IN MOUNTAIN WEST – New Mexico was picked to finish fifth in the 2005-06 Mountain West Conference race during the league’s preseason media gathering last month in Salt Lake City. Voters were a combination of head coaches and media. UNM was picked to finish fourth in 2004-05, but ended up second behind Utah.
NEW MEXICO STATE RECAP & NOTES – Tyrone Nelson’s double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds and New Mexico State’s free throw shooting in the final six minutes carried the Aggies to a 67-61 win over New Mexico.
New Mexico State squandered a 13-point first-half lead but held on for the win by scoring 15 of its last 17 points from the free throw line. Nelson hit 11 of 13 free throws, including two with 20.2 seconds left that sealed the win. New Mexico State hit 30 of 36 free throws.
New Mexico trailed 32-19 with 2:20 left in the first half, but scored the final eight points – the last three on a 3-pointer by Jeff Hart with a second remaining. The Lobos’ rally continued through the first five minutes of the second half behind eight straight points from Mark Walters, who led the Lobos with 18 points.
But New Mexico struggled to get into an offensive flow all night and hit a season-low 33.9 percent of its shots. Back-to-back 3s by Walters cut New Mexico State’s lead to 36-35 with 15:57 left and a field goal by Kris Collins gave the Lobos a 40-38 lead. There were seven ties before the Aggies took the lead for good on a pair of free throws by David Fisher with 3:52 remaining.
NMSU got its last field goal – a baseline jumper by Fisher – with 6:30 remaining, but the Aggies repeatedly hit free throws down the stretch. New Mexico hurt its chances by missing three of four free throws in the final 1:09. That, coupled with a late turnover by center David Chiotti, an airball 3-point shot by Hart and a missed layup by Tony Danridge, contributed to the loss. Tony Danridge scored 12 for New Mexico.
The loss snapped a 3-game winning streak for the Lobos in the series, falling to the Aggies for the first time since a 67-48 defeat in Las Cruces on Dec. 3, 2003
New Mexico trailed at halftime (32-27) for the first time this season
UNM shot a season-low 33.9% (19-56) from the floor and was outrebounded 40-31
The Lobos came into the game leading the league in FT% at 76.7%, but made only 59% (16-27), the lowest this season when attempting at least 10 shots
Senior G Mark Walters scored a team-high 18 points and has led the Lobos in scoring in all six games this season…he is averaging a career-best 16.8 points/game this year..Walters attempted a career-high 19 FGs, but made just five…he launched 13 attempts from 3-point, a career-high and the total tied for the 5th-highest in Lobo history…Walters came into the game leading the MWC in FT% at 88.9%…he was 5 of 10 against NMSU, and his streak of 20 straight made came to an end with a miss in the first half
The Lobos’ 8 assists were a season-low, while the Aggies’ 8 assists were the lowest by a UNM opponent this year.
Sophomore Tony Dandridge finished with 12 points and has scored in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time in his career…Dandridge is averaging 11.8 points in his last four games and 10.2 on the season..he averaged just 3.0 ppg as a true freshman last year
Senior C David Chiotti failed to score in double figures for just the second time this season, finishing with a season-low 7 points..Chiotti did finish with 9 rebounds, his second-highest total of the year
SEASON NOTES – New Mexico opened the season by doing something it had not accomplished in 60 years and that is holding its first three opponents to less than 50 points…in 1945-46, UNM shackled New Mexico State twice (38-31 and 50-23) and Arizona (42-37) to begin the season
The current scoring defense of 57.3 points a game is the lowest allowed by UNM after six games in 41 years…the 1964-65 Lobos allowed just 48.5 ppg
It is only six games into the season, but the Lobos are having their struggles putting the ball in the basket…UNM is shooting 43.7% so far, a figure that would rank as the second-lowest season percentage since 1972-73…the Lobos made 42.3% in 2002-03
Likewise, 3-point shooting is currently at 33.6%…that would also be the second-worst season percentage since the shot became part of the college game in 1986-87…UNM made 32.7% in 1987-88
The Lobos have won 13 straight games at The Pit, tying for the school’s ninth-longest home winning streak and currently the 10th-longest in NCAA Div. I hoops…it’s New Mexico’s longest home court winning string since taking 16 in a row from Nov. 13, 1998 to Feb. 1, 1999…UNM’s last loss was Dec. 22, 2004, to No. 5 Wake Forest, 81-64
The 53-point victory margin over Ole Miss (95-42) ties for UNM’s 7th largest win in school history and ties for the 5th-widest margin in The Pit
UNM held Ole Miss to 25.5% shooting from the floor, the lowest by a Lobo opponent since Northwestern State was held to 24.2% (15-62) in The Pit on Dec. 28, 2003
The Lobos had won 21 straight games – and 28 of 29 – when leading at halftime before the 68-56 loss at Kansas State…UNM led the Wildcats 36-27 at the break…the last setback was at Oregon a year ago…UNM led the Ducks 43-41 before losing 79-75 at Eugene
New Mexico was outrebounded 33-20 at Kansas State…that’s the fewest caroms for UNM in eight seasons, since gathering 20 in a 77-62 win over Colorado State on Feb. 7, 1998
The Lobos’ assist-to-turnover ratio is a sold 93 to 59…that’s 9.8 turnovers a game, which leads the MWC and is the 3rd-lowest total in the nation through games of Dec. 5
CHIOTTI/WALTERS COULD JOIN 1,000-POINT CLUB – Seniors David Chiotti and Mark Walters have a good shot at becoming the 23rd and 24th Lobos to score 1,000 career points. Chiotti has 862 points in his 94-game career while Walters has 836 after 92 games.
Both could also gain entrance into a more exclusive club, that of 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career. Chiotti needs 32 boards for 500 while Walters is 122 caroms shy. The last Lobo to do so was Lamont Long during the 1998-99 season.
SHOOT BETTER, WIN GAMES – Probably not a surprising stat, but the Lobos are 3-0 this season when they shoot better than their opponent. Since 2003-04, New Mexico is 39-2 in that situation. The only losses came last year against Air Force (UNM 69.2% to AFA’s 50%) and to Villanova (29.8% to 28.3%) in the NCAA Tournament.
FIRST-HALF BURSTS – Getting off to good starts has not been a problem for the Lobos. New Mexico led Ole Miss 13-11 with 10:59 left in the first half, then proceeded to finish the period with a 31-4 run and a 44-15 halftime lead.
Against Southern Utah, the Lobos trailed 10-2, missing five of their first six shots. A 20-2 sizzle made it 22-12 and UNM never trailed again. UNM bolted out to a 30-14 advantage at Kansas State, but lost 68-56.
ROAD WOES DISAPPEAR – New Mexico began the 2004-05 season with a 27-game losing streak in true road games and it had dropped 29 in a row when including contests at neutral sites.
That all changed last year as the Lobos posted an 8-6 record away from The Pit, including a 3-4 ledger in conference games. UNM captured five straight games away from Albuquerque for the first time since 1977-78 and prevailed in back-to-back 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.
2005-06 PERSONNEL PICTURE – The Lobos return eight lettermen, including two starters, from last year’s team that finished 26-7, won the MWC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999. Chad Toppert, a redshirt last season, gives the Lobos nine players total returning from 2004-05.
The biggest loss from a year ago is Danny Granger, the 17th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, going to the Indiana Pacers. The versatile 6-8 forward led the team in scoring (18.8 ppg), rebounding (8.9 rpg), blocks (2.0 bpg) and steals (2.1 spg). He was an All-American (AP honorable mention, Basketball Times 3rd Team), two-time first team All-MWC and the 2005 MWC Tournament Most Valuable Player.
Other starters lost include Alfred Neale and Troy DeVries, both who are playing professionally as well. The trio of Granger, DeVries (11.0 ppg) and Neale (10.3) combined to average 40.1 points a game. Additionally, they were the top 3-pointer shooters on the team, making a combined 43% (197-of-455) of their attempts.
Other lettermen not returning are 6-7 forward Bambale Osby, 6-0 guard Ryan Wall and 6-9 forward Sean Phaler. Osby, Wall and Phaler all decided to transfer following the 2005 season.
Returning starters include senior forward David Chiotti (10.4 ppg) and senior guard Mark Walters (10.5 ppg). Senior Kris Collins, who started 18 games before being sidelined with a foot injury, senior Jeff Hart, junior Kellen Walter and sophomores Tony Danridge, Blake Harden and Darren Prentice are also be back.
McKay and his staff welcome six new faces to the team in 2005-06, three junior college transfers (Joel Box, Kyle Prochaska and Anthony Teague), two freshmen (Daniel Faris and Ryan Kersten) and a Division I transfer from Kansas (J.R. Giddens eligible in 2006-07).
GRANGER QUITE A LOSS – Danny Granger was the only player in NCAA Div. I basketball in 2004-05 to average at least 18 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 assists and 2 blocks a game. Granger finished 6 points shy of 1,000 in his 52-game UNM career. That’s a career average of 19.1 per game. He is the only Lobo to register 50 assists, 50 blocks and 50 steals in a season and he is the sole member of the 60-60-60 club. His 63 steals rank No. 7 at UNM for a single season, while his 60 blocks are 10th.
LOBOS IN THE PIT – The 2005-06 season marks the 40th year of basketball in The Pit/Bob King Court, which was completed in December of 1966. UNM has an all-time mark of 558-133 (80%) in the building that resides 37 feet below street level. The Lobos, who have won 13 straight at home and were 18-1 last year, have had a winning record in The Pit in 38 of their 39 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 159-31 (83%) at home. They have also won 34 of their past 37.
SEASON NO. 103 – The 2005-06 season is the 103rd 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 1,236-969 (.560). New Mexico was 418-495 (.458) from 1900-62, but has gone 818-474 (.633) over the past 44 seasons, an average of nearly 19 wins per year. The Lobos have made 27 trips to the postseason during that span, including 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and 16 showings in the NIT.
2005-06 SCHEDULE NOTES -UNM has four non-conference games away from Albuquerque for the first time since playing six in 1987-88 when it visited Washington, New Mexico State, Texas and Oklahoma, plus neutral games against Seton Hall and Iowa State in the Preseason NIT at New York. The non-conference schedule also features four teams from BCS leagues (Ole Miss, Kansas State, Washington, Oregon). The last time UNM played four BCS schools in the regular season was 1997-98 when it met Arizona, Texas Tech, Southern California and UCLA.
POSTSEASON PERENNIALS – UNM has appeared in the NCAA Tournament or NIT eight of the past 10 years and 19 times in the last 22 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 eight NCAA Tournament appearances since 1991, including a school-record four straight from 1996-99, moving to the second round each time.
THREE SIGN IN EARLY PERIOD – The University of New Mexico received national letters-of-intent from three future Lobos during the November early-signing period: Jeffrey Henfield (Nassau, Bahamas), Roman (pronounced ro-MAHN) Martinez (El Paso, Texas) and Derek Oestreicher (Shasta Lake, Calif.) all committed to join New Mexico’s men’s basketball program beginning with the 2006-07 season.
Henfield is a 6-4 swingman who averaged 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists last year at Northeast Nebraska Community College. Martinez, a 6-7 wing from El Paso Montwood High School, averaged 15 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks last season. Oestreicher (pronounced A-striker) is a 6-10, 240-pound center from Liberty Christian HS in Shasta Lake, Calif. He averaged 21 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks last year.
AND TWO SITTING OUT – The Lobos also have two pretty solid transfers sitting out. J.R. Giddens, who came to UNM from Kansas, will have two years of eligibility remaining starting with the 2006-07 season. Aaron Johnson is a transfer from Penn State who will be a senior in 2006-07 and have one year left.
A 6-5 wing, Giddens was a McDonald’s High School All-American in 2003 coming out of John Marshall HS in Oklahoma City. He was ranked as the 17th-best prospect in the country by ESPN.com. Giddens was a two-year starter for the Jayhawks, playing in all 63 games with 56 starts. He was KU’s third leading scorer last year, averaging 10.1 points. Giddens averaged 11.3 points per game his freshman season, receiving Big 12 All-Freshman Team and honorable mention all-Big 12 honors.
Johnson led the Big Ten in rebounding as a junior, averaging 9.9 boards a game. His career averages at Penn State were 10.2 ppg and 8.2 rpg. Johnson grabbed 24 rebounds in a win over Western Carolina, tying for the second-highest single-game total in the NCAA last season. He was the only player in the NCAA last year with multiple 20+ rebound games with three.
2004-05 REVIEW – It was a breakout season for the University of New Mexico in 2004-05 as it won the Mountain West Conference Tournament to culminate a sparkling nine-game winning streak and return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years. The Lobos, picked to finish fourth in the MWC preseason poll, fell to 23rd-ranked Villanova 55-47 in the first round of the Syracuse Regional.
New Mexico finished 26-7 on the year, the second-highest win total in school history and a 12-win improvement from 2003-04. It’s also two more victories than the previous two seasons combined as UNM went 24-32 in 2002-03 and 2003-04.
Only national champion North Carolina and Texas A&M progressed by a greater margin that UNM did in 2004-05. The Tar Heels and Aggies each constructed 14 more wins than last year. The Lobos closed the season by winning 9 of 10 and 12 of 14, including their first conference tournament title since 1996.
The No. 2 seed in the MWC Tournament in Denver, UNM ran past BYU, San Diego State and 15th-ranked Utah to claim the league’s automatic bid to the Big Dance.
Before the loss to Villanova, the Lobos had won five straight games away from Albuquerque, a feat last achieved in 1977-78 when they won six in a row.
It was the first NCAA appearance for UNM’s Ritchie McKay, either as a player, assistant coach or head coach. McKay did have a 2-1 record in the 1999 NIT while at Colorado State. His previous eight teams had never won more than 19 games in a season.
After starting the conference season 1-3, the Lobos finished 10-4 in the MWC, placing second behind nationally-ranked Utah. The 10 wins came on the heels of four straight losing records in conference play and were the most since 11 victories in the Western Athletic Conference in 1998.
The Lobos’ nine-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. The nine-game skein is the longest for a Ritchie McKay-coached team and the Lobos’ best run since taking nine straight in 2000-01.