Dec. 30, 2006
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Provided the Lobos can get out of snow-ravaged Albuquerque, a game with rather large historical implications will take place Monday in Lubbock, Texas, when New Mexico (11-3) visits Texas Tech (10-4). Tip-off is a bright-and-early 10 a.m. Mountain Time for the New Year’s Day national telecast on ESPN2.
Texas Tech head coach Bob Knight has 879 wins, tied with North Carolina’s Dean Smith for most victories in the history of NCAA Div. I men’s basketball. Mountain West Conference member UNLV denied Knight his first chance at the record by beating Texas Tech 74-66 Thursday at United Spirit Arena. That ended a four-game TTU winning streak.
Fresh off a 101-96 victory over Pepperdine in the championship game of the 42nd Lobo Invitational, UNM has won six of its last seven. The Lobos have taken 11 straight at The Pit (10-0 this season) and are 43-3 on their home floor since the start of the 2004-05 season. UNM’s winning margin at home is 21.2 points in 10 games.
The Lobos are 1-3 away from Albuquerque this year, the lone win a 71-68 upset over 8th-ranked and previously undefeated Wichita State in the semifinals of the Las Vegas Classic on Dec. 22. The three losses to rivals UTEP and New Mexico State, and to Kansas State in the Las Vegas Classic championship game have been by an average of 23.7 points.
New Mexico is in a stretch where it plays five games in 10 days. UNM opens its Mountain West Conference schedule Wednesday at TCU followed by the league home opener Saturday versus Colorado State.
UNM is playing its fourth game against the Big 12 this season. The Lobos handled Colorado (106-65) and K-State (78-54) at home in November before losing to the Wildcats (72-56) in Las Vegas on Dec. 23.
The 3-point shot could be on full display Monday morning. New Mexico is averaging 9.4 treys after connecting for 23 in two games of the Lobo Invitational. Eleven of UNM’s 13 players have made a hoop from beyond the arc. Despite missing 11 of 12 tries against UNLV, Texas Tech is one of the nation’s most accurate shooting teams from the circle, hitting almost 45% of its 196 attempts on the season.
NEW MEXICO-TEXAS TECH SERIES
Monday’s game will be the 81st in a series that started Feb. 24, 1931. It’s all tied at 40 wins apiece, although Tech has won the last two meetings with Bob Knight at the helm. Those are the only two games for
Knight against UNM during his head coaching career.
The last game between the two schools separated by about a five-hour drive was a 67-58 Red Raiders’ victory in The Pit on Dec. 6, 2003. The last meeting in Lubbock resulted in a 98-71 victory for Texas Tech. In that contest, the Red Raiders hit 69% (25-36) of their shots in the first half to build a 56-32 advantage. TTU finished at 65.6% (42-64) for the game, at the time the best shooting against a Lobo team in 16 years.
Texas Tech has a 21-14 lead in games in Lubbock, 1-0 at the United Spirit Arena. The Lobos have dropped their last two games on the Plains. The last win was 82-76 on Dec. 8, 1993.
LOBOS ON NEW YEAR’S DAY
The records indicate that New Mexico is playing on New Year’s Day for the fifth time in school history and it has yet to lose. The most recent New Year’s contest was Jan. 1, 1968, when 10th-ranked UNM dispatched Denver 87-76 in The Pit.
Jan. 1, 1949 UNM 46, Abilene Christian 44 Portales, N.M.
Jan. 1, 1955 UNM 71, Arizona 65 Albuquerque
Jan. 1, 1966 UNM 87, Denver 66 Albuquerque
Jan. 1, 1968 UNM 87, Denver 76 Albuquerque
PEPPERDINE REVIEW
J.R. Giddens scored a career-high 26 points and Jamaal Smith hit eight free throws in the final two minutes as New Mexico held off Pepperdine 101-96 in the championship game of the Lobo Invitational.
New Mexico used the 3-point shooting of Giddens and reserve Chad Toppert to beat the Waves, who lost despite shooting 61 percent (22 of 36) in the second half and having six players in double figures.
Giddens, who also had 9 rebounds, scored 10 points in a 19-0 first half run by the Lobos.
Giddens hit six 3s and Toppert hit 5 of 6 shots from behind the arc to match his season high of 20 points. Smith, whose late free throw shooting foiled one Pepperdine rally after another, hit 10 of 11 free throws en route to a career-high 19 points.
Pepperdine led 36-23 with 6:06 left in the first half on a 3-pointer by Gregg Barlow. But that was the Waves’ final field goal for the next 6:03. The Lobos used the Waves’ shooting troubles to put together the 19-0 run that started on a Giddens 3-pointer and ended with a Giddens dunk on a breakaway basket following a Pepperdine turnover.
New Mexico outscored Pepperdine 17-8 in the first 5:01 of the second half. Pepperdine rebounded and cut a double-digit deficit to 89-86 on Griffin’s 3-pointer with 2:46 left, but could come no closer.
The Lobos have won 11 in a row at The Pit and are 43-3 at home since the start of the 2004-05 season…UNM is averaging 87.9 points per game at home this year with two 100-point efforts
New Mexico is 8-0 when leading at the half this year
UNM used a 19-0 run to turn a 13-point first half deficit (36-23) into a 42-36 lead
After a 5-18 start from the floor, the Lobos were 12-16 over the last 10 minutes of the first half
All nine players combined for a season-high 27 assists…that’s the most assists since 27 against the University of San Diego during the 2003-04 season
New Mexico used its sixth different starting lineup of the season…Tony Danridge is the only Lobo to start every game
The UNM reserves scored 92 points (out of 192 total) in the two games of the Lobo Invitational
returned to the starting lineup after a one-game absence (ankle injury)
scored 18 of his career-high 26 points in the first half, including 10 in a pivotal 19-0 UNM run
recorded his 5th 20-point game of the year and has led UNM in scoring in 11 of his 13 games…he had averaged 15.4 points in his previous 5 games
hit a season-high 6 3-pointers on a career-high 13 attempts
had been 8-36 (22%) from beyond the arc in his previous 8 games
tied his career-high with 20 points off the bench, 18 coming in the 2nd half
scored in double figures for the fifth time this year – all coming in the last 7 games…UNM is 5-0 in those games
hit 5-6 shots from 3-point range and he is 27 of 50 (54%) from beyond the arc the past 9 games
scored a career-high 19 points, including 10-11 from the FT line…he was 8-8 from the stripe down the stretch to protect the Lobo lead
tied career-highs with 5 assists and 4 rebounds
was in the starting lineup for the second straight night and just the third time in his career
tied his career-high with 6 assists off the bench
11 points and 5 rebounds off the bench
5-5 from the floor and was 11-12 in the two games of the Lobo Invitational…Johnson has made 23-34 FGs (68%) over the last 6 games
LOBOS SHOCK WICHITA STATE
On Dec. 22, New Mexico knocked No. 8 Wichita State from the ranks of college basketball’s unbeaten with a gutty 71-68 victory in the semifinals of the Las Vegas Classic played at the Orleans Arena. The Shockers were 9-0 coming into the game.
The last time New Mexico beat a team ranked that high was in 1999 when it nipped No. 2 Arizona 70-68 in Tucson.
The victory over WSU was all the more impressive considering UNM was without the services of leading scorer J.R. Giddens for most of the second half. The junior guard sprained his left ankle a few minutes into the second half and was limited to 26 minutes.
In Giddens’ stead, junior Tony Danridge stepped up to tie a career-high with 17 points. Point guard Jamaal Smith, playing in front of hometown family and friends, was solid under constant pressure with 13 points and 5 assists. Chad Toppert came off the bench to score 10 points, including a huge 3-pointer with 39 seconds left that provided UNM with a 68-62 lead.
LOBO OFFENSE FIRING HOT
It had been 25 years since a New Mexico team reached 90 points in its first three games of the season like the current Lobos did. UNM is averaging 81.5 points after 13 games, tops in the Mountain West Conference. It has been 20 years since a Lobo team averaged more than 80 points a game over an entire season: 80.8 ppg in 1986-87, which was the first year of the 3-point shot in college basketball.
UNM’s previous season scoring averages under McKay from 2003-06 were 70.9, 69.6, 75.5 and 64.6. That’s quite a dramatic shift from the 81.5-point average this season.
3s FALLING
The Lobos are averaging 9.4 treys a game and 11 of the 13 players on the roster have connected from long range.
New Mexico opened the season by canning 16 of 39 3s in a 91-54 victory over Abilene Christian. The 16 treys tie for 5th-most in school history. It’s the most 3s since 16 against Penn State on Dec. 29, 2004. Current Lobo Aaron Johnson was a member of that PSU team.
The 39 attempts are the most ever by a Lobo team in a non-overtime game. UNM threw up 42 in a 112-104 double overtime loss to New Mexico State on Dec. 11, 1993.
Giddens Banged Up in Three Lobo Losses
Junior J.R. Giddens, the Lobos’ leading scorer and second leading rebounder, was playing hurt in all three of UNM’s losses. He suffered a broken nose in the closing minutes of the New Mexico State game at home on Nov. 28 and was forced to wear a protective face-mask at UTEP and New Mexico State. The result was a poor shooting performance in both games. He was 6-18 from the field and 2-9 from 3-pt. range against the Miners, scoring 16 points in the 87-63 loss. Against the Aggies he was 3-13 from the field and 0-6 from behind the arc for 15 points in a 103-72 loss. He was also playing with an injury in UNM’s 72-56 loss against Kansas State in the championship game of the Las Vegas Holiday Classic on Dec. 23. He sprained his ankle the night before against Wichita State, but played through the pain against the Wildcats. He was just 5-11 from the floor for only 12 points in the game. In the three losses, Giddens went 14-42 (33.3%) from the field, 3-17 (17.6%) from 3-pt. range and grabbed just seven rebounds.
11 IN A ROW VS. THE BUFFS
In an unconscious stretch in the 106-65 victory over Colorado, the Lobos nailed 11 consecutive shots in the second half, and it wasn’t a lay-up drill. Eight players contributed, getting 27 points from the 11 baskets over a span of 6 minutes and 7 seconds. Five of the buckets were 3-pointers from four different players.
STATS TRENDS
Since 2003-04, New Mexico is 59-5 when it shoots better than its opponent…the only losses came in 2004-05 against Air Force (UNM 69.2% to AFA’s 50%) and to Villanova (29.8% to 28.3%) in the NCAA Tournament, and last year against Washington (54% to 50%) and twice to BYU (UNM 53% to BYU’s 49% in The Pit, UNM’s 51% to BYU’s 46% in Provo)…the record is 94-9 since 2000-01
The Lobos are 26-2 when allowing less than 60 points since 2004-05
Under Ritchie McKay since 2002-03, UNM is 8-37 when it trails at halftime, however, four of the wins came in 2005-06 and two this year:
Since 2004-05, the Lobos are 47-6 when they lead at halftime, however, five of the losses came last year: at Kansas State, at Wyoming, BYU twice and UNLV in the MWC Tournament
40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
The 2006-07 season is a year-long recognition and dedication to the former student-athletes who have graced the floor of The Pit over the past 40 years. The highlights:
A 40th anniversary logo was created by Albuquerque’s Esparza Advertising at no charge…the UNM men’s team, spirit squad and Lobo Louie and Lobo Lucy will all wear the logo patch on their home uniforms during the 2006-07 season…40th anniversary apparel will be available at the Lobo Store
Special murals were hung above all entrance doors inside The Pit…the displays highlight former Lobo greats alongside current team members…photos of former Lobos and the 40th anniversary logo will also be displayed prominently throughout the arena
The 1966-67 team – the first to play in The Pit – was recognized at halftime of the Abilene Christian game on Nov. 10. Abilene Christian was UNM’s first opponent iin the facility on Dec. 1, 1966.
Special promotions/giveaways at selected home games
UNM THE ONLY ONE
New Mexico is the only team in the Mountain West Conference that has produced a 1st team all-Mountain West Conference representative each of the past five seasons: Ruben Douglas in 2002 and `03, Danny Granger in 2004 and `05 and Mark Walters in 2006.
NEW LOBOS FOR 2007-08
Head coach Ritchie McKay announced the signing of two high school seniors to national letters of intent.
Mickey McConnell is a 6-0 point guard from Dobson High School in Mesa, Ariz. He averaged 21 points, six rebounds and four assists per game as a junior.
McConnell led Dobson to a 19-12 record before falling in the 2006 state playoffs to current Lobo Sean Imadiyi’s Corona del Sol squad. McConnell shot 48 percent from behind the arc last season, leading the East Valley 5A Conference in scoring, 3-pt. FG% and assists. He was also named to the East Valley 5A All-Region team.
McConnell is also a standout shortstop on the Dobson baseball team and was an honorable mention 5A all-state team member. His father, Rick, the basketball coach at Dobson, was a member of the University of Arizona’s 1976 College World Series Championship baseball team.
Ty Abbott is a 6-4, 192-pound guard from Phoenix, Ariz., who averaged 17 points and nine rebounds per game last season for Desert Vista High School.
Abbott led Desert Vista to a 26-7 record as a junior. He led the Arizona 5A Central Region in blocks (0.9), second in rebounds, and was third in steals (1.2) in 2005-06. He also shot 47% from the floor and 27% from 3-pt. range.
SEASON NO. 104
The 2006-07 season is the 104th 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 1,260-983 (.560). New Mexico was 418-495 (.458) from 1900-62, but has gone 842-488 (.633) over the past 43-plus 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.
UNM PREDICTED FOR 5TH-PLACE FINISH IN THE MWC
Like last year, New Mexico was picked to finish fifth in the 2006-07 Mountain West Conference race during the league’s preseason media gathering in October. Voters were a combination of head coaches and media.
GOV. RICHARDSON MAKES PLEDGE TO PIT RENOVATION
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson announced at a news conference Jan. 28, 2006, that he is pledging $15 million to improving athletics facilities at the University of New Mexico. The focal point of Richardson’s capital outlay is an $8 million down payment for the renovation and modernization of The Pit/Bob King Court. The venerable arena opened Dec. 1, 1966. All renovations in the past 40 years have been limited to locker rooms and offices. An architect for the project has been chosen to begin preliminary plans and drawings.
“It has been almost 23 years since Jim Valvano and North Carolina State won the national championship in The Pit,” said Richardson earlier this year. “If it is to continue to be one of the best arenas in college basketball, it has to be updated, and this is the first step.”
WHO’S GONE, WHO’S BACK
UNM’s four seniors from 2005-06 – David Chiotti, Kris Collins, Jeff Hart and Mark Walters – combined to play in 378 games and start 250 in their careers.
With the departure of junior Joel Box, the Lobos lost four of their top-five scorers and their top-three rebounders. The six returning lettermen have combined to start just 43 career games and represented only 30% of the team’s points, 25% of the rebounds and 34% of the minutes from 2005-06.
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.