Jan. 25, 2007
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Hoping to find a little good luck, the New Mexico Lobos visit the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels Saturday in Las Vegas. Tipoff is 8:05 p.m. Mountain Time from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The game will be televised live on The mtn., Channel 276 on Comcast Cable in Albuquerque.
The Lobos (12-9, 1-5 MWC), 7-9 following a 5-0 start, fell at home to BYU 70-49 on Wednesday. New Mexico has lost six of seven overall. UNM is 1-5 in conference play for the first time since 2002-03. It has been 45 years since a Lobo team started league play with a 1-6 record. The 1961-62 Lobos began 1-7 in the Skyline Conference.
While New Mexico is 11-2 at home this season and 44-5 in The Pit since the start of the 2004-05 campaign, it is 1-7 away from home this year, including 0-6 in true road games. UNM’s most recent road win was last season at TCU. The Lobos have lost eight straight in other team’s arenas.
New Mexico has dropped all three of its conference road games so far, but it has led in the second half in all three.
Picked to finish 6th in the MWC preseason poll, UNLV is 17-4 overall and 4-2 in MWC play after dispatching San Diego State 68-61 Tuesday in Las Vegas. The 17 wins matches the Rebels’ total from each of the past two seasons under third-year head coach Lon Kruger.
Wink Adams scored a game-high 20 points – all in the second half – to lead the way over SDSU. The Rebels won despite playing without leading scorer, senior Wendell White (16.2 ppg), and senior guard Kevin Kruger, their number three scorer (12.9). White has been out the past two games with an ankle injury while Kruger suffered a deep left thigh bruise at Wyoming Jan. 10 and has missed the past three contests.
The Rebels are 11-1 at Tarkanian Court this year, 3-0 in the MWC. The lone loss was 79-76 to Cal Santa Barbara on Nov. 17. UNLV is one of two teams to beat nationally-ranked Nevada this season. The Rebels won 58-49 at Reno on Dec. 9. Nevada lost to New Mexico State last Saturday in Las Cruces.
REDEEM THOSE UNUSED TICKETS
A reminder that Lobo season ticketholders may redeem any unused tickets from the 2006-07 season for upcoming games against Wyoming (next Tuesday) or San Diego State (Feb. 20). This offer if valid only to season ticketholders. Tickets must be redeemed at the ticket office at The Pit during normal business hours.
FINAL STUDENT TICKET PICK-UP IS FEB. 7
UNM students can pick up free tickets Wednesday, Feb. 7 for the final three home games: TCU (Feb. 17), San Diego State (Feb. 20) and UNLV (Feb. 28).
Tickets are available at the Center for the Arts ticket window outside of Popejoy Hall Wednesday from 7:30-11 a.m. After that time, tickets can be picked up at the UNM Bookstore or the Lobo Ticket Office at The Pit.
BIG-TIME TURNAROUND UNDER McKAY
Head coach Ritchie McKay’s first two Lobo teams went 24-32, but UNM had just eight scholarship players available in his first season of 2002-03 and only 10 in his second year. Since the 5/8 rule was repealed after the 2003-04 season, the Lobos have posted a 55-29 record since 2004-05.
McKay, Norm Ellenberger and Dave Bliss are the only head coaches to take the Lobos to the NCAA Tournament within their first three years at the post
Picked to finish 4th in the MWC in 2004-05, the Lobos finished 26-7 overall, 2nd in the conference at 10-4, won the MWC Tournament for the first time in nine years and only the third time in school history, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years
The 26 wins in 2004-05 is the second-best total in school history and were a 12-win improvement from 2003-04…that tied for the 2nd-largest jump in program history and tied for the 3rd-highest in NCAA Div. I men’s basketball
New Mexico won five straight games away from The Pit in 2004-05, a feat last accomplished in 1977-78
The Lobos are 4-5 against ranked teams under McKay
Seven Lobo seniors who completed their eligibility at UNM between 2003-06 are – or have – playing professionally: Javin Tindall, Ruben Douglas, Alfred Neale, Troy DeVries, Danny Granger, David Chiotti and Mark Walters
The team combined for a 2.97 grade-point-average during the 2006 spring semester. That’s the highest semester GPA by the program since UNM began charting grades in the fall of 1988. In fact, two of the team’s top-three GPAs have been registered under McKay’s guidance.
McKAY’S CAREER
Ritchie McKay is in his fifth season at UNM and 11th year as a collegiate head coach. He was named UNM’s 18th head coach on March 28, 2002.
McKay has a career record of 162-150, 79-61 in his fifth season at New Mexico. He is 68-16 in Albuquerque, 51-25 in all non-conference games, 45-7 in non-league games at The Pit and 6-18 in road/neutral games. He is 28-36 in the MWC, 23-9 at home, 5-27 on the road.
McKay had previous two-year stops at Portland State (1996-98), Colorado State (1998-2000) and Oregon State (2000-02).
SLIPPERY LEADS; NICE COMEBACKS
New Mexico has watched a pair of second-half, double-digit leads go by the wayside in MWC games. The Lobos led at nationally-ranked Air Force 37-16 in the first half and 41-24 early in the second period only to have the Falcons embark on a monstrous 28-1 blast. UNM lost 65-57.
Against Utah, New Mexico led 40-25 right after halftime, but the Utes rallied to eventually tie the game. UNM squeaked out an 86-82 overtime win.
The Lobos held a 44-28 advantage over rival New Mexico State only to have the Aggies trim it to one with 21 seconds remaining. UNM hung on to win 79-76.
On the other hand, the Lobos have erased some big deficits this season. UNM trailed Pepperdine 36-23 in the first half before taking off on a 19-0 run and an eventual 101-96 victory. At Texas Tech on Jan. 1, New Mexico fell behind 33-13 and trailed 48-35 early in the second half. The Lobos rallied to take a 66-63 before coming up on the short end of a 70-68 decision, giving Bob Knight his 880th career win, tops among NCAA Div. I-A coaches.
LOBOS ON TV
New Mexico will have 13 regular-season conference games televised live this year, including the last 12. That equals the most since UNM joined the Mountain West Conference in 1999-2000. A total of 10 games were shown live last year, 11 in 2004-05, eight in 2003-04 and 10 in 2002-03. The last time for 13 was 2000-01 and 2001-02.
NEW MEXICO-UNLV SERIES
The Lobos and Runnin’ Rebels meet for the 33rd time. UNLV has a 20-12 lead in a series that started Jan. 17, 1976. UNM has won three of the past five, but the Rebels have taken nine of the past 12. UNLV has also won eight of the past nine against UNM at the Thomas & Mack, the lone win 77-66 two years ago when Danny Granger was a senior.
Last year, UNLV won 67-56 in Las Vegas and 65-64 in the quarterfinals of the MWC Tournament in Denver. The Rebels overcame a 13-point second-half deficit to win at the Pepsi Center.
The Lobos won 47-39 in the Pit, which matched the Runnin’ Rebels lowest point total in program history. UNLV also scored 39 in a 59-39 loss at Virginia on Jan. 3, 1994. UNM held the Rebels to a season-low 24.2% (15-62) shooting from the floor, including 18% (3-17) from 3-point.
Lobo head coach Ritchie McKay started 0-9 in his career against UNLV sweeping the series in 2005. He is now 3-11.
MORE ON THE RUNNIN’ REBELS
UNLV was 17-13 overall and 10-6 in the MWC last year for a 4th-place finish. Guards Michael Umeh and Wink Adams are the top returning scorers. Wendell White leads the team this year at 16.2 ppg, followed by Adams (14.7) and head coach Lon Kruger’s son, Kevin (12.9).
Lon Kruger is in his third season as head coach of the Rebels. He is a 1975 graduate of Kansas State. Kruger has a 369-264 overall record, including 51-31 at UNLV.
BYU REVIEW AND NOTES
Freshman Jonathan Tavernari scored 18 points and BYU used a late first half run to take control in a 70-49 win over New Mexico.
Tavernari tied his career high on a night when Keena Young, the Cougars leading scorer, scored just eight points, six of them in the game’s final five minutes. Trent Plaisted added 11 points for the Cougars. Tony Danridge led the Lobos with 21 points as New Mexico scored a season-low point total.
J.R. Giddens, the Lobos’ leading scorer, did not start and went scoreless. He left the game with 12:24 in the second half with an injured left ankle. Giddens, who has been hobbled by the same ankle since spraining it a month ago, hopped off the court and grimaced in pain.
BYU took control by scoring the last 11 points of the first half for a 37-28 lead. The Cougars hit their last six shots of the first half after the teams had traded the lead 17 times, plus four ties. Tavernari hit back-to-back 3-pointers, reserve guard Sam Burgess hit two free throws and a 3-pointer in the run.
New Mexico got within 43-37 with 13:27 left on a 3-point play by Danridge, but Tavernari hit a layup while all alone under the basket and after Giddens went out, Tavernari hit a bankshot and the Cougars regained the momentum for good.
The Cougars have 16 wins against New Mexico in The Pit, more than any other UNM opponent
The 21-point margin is the Lobos’ largest home loss since a 68-42 setback to Air Force on Jan. 17, 2004
BYU equaled its biggest win over New Mexico in Albuquerque since an 83-62 decision on Feb. 26, 1998…it was that game 9 years ago that snapped the Lobos’ 41-game homecourt winning streak
The first half featured 4 ties and 17 lead changes, however, BYU closed with an 11-0 run to take a 37-28 halftime lead and never trailed again…the Cougars hit their last 6 shots of the first half while New Mexico’s last 7 trips of the 1st half resulted in 3 turnovers and 4 missed shots…UNM did not score the final 3:41 of the 1st stanza
Tony Danridge led New Mexico with 21 points, his 15th double-figure scoring game of the season…he has averaged 17 ppg the past 5 games
New Mexico was averaging 84 points a game in its first 12 home games before BYU
UNM tied a season-low with four 3-pointers (in 16 attempts)…it also amde 4 against Kansas State in Las Vegas…the Lobos came into the game averaging 9.6 treys a game
The Lobos were 5 of 9 from the FT line, lowering the overall season percentage to 66.3% and 56.8% (42-74) in MWC games…they are 29-56 (52%) the past 4 games