Dec. 22, 2008
Lobo Basketball
What: Lobos vs. New Mexico State
When/Where: 6:30 p.m. Tonight (Dec. 23) — The Pit
On The Air: The Mtn (Comcast 276, DirecTV 616)
Online: GameTracker; All Access (live) on GoLobos.com
By Richard Stevens — Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
The buzz on 770-AM Monday night about the Lobos/Aggies game to be played tonight in The Pit was that there`s not much buzz/interest in the game. That’s not exactly true. It’s just a buzz that might be getting overshadowed a bit by the holiday festivities.
There are only about 1,000 tickets left for the rivalry clash. If enough Lobo fans get tired of Christmas shopping today, there is a chance this 201st meeting could be a sellout by 6:30 p.m. Hey, the mall will be open on Wednesday. Come rock with the Lobos as they try to rock the Aggies.
Which would be a sweet Christmas gift to a lot of Lobos, who are buzzed about this game, including 6-foot-9 senior Daniel Faris. The Eldorado High product said he would love to see a full Pit for his last home game against New Mexico State.
“This is my senior year and all these games are special, but this is my last chance to play the Aggies in The Pit, so you know I’m excited about this one,” said Faris. “I’ve really learned to appreciate how special The Pit is after traveling around and seeing the fan support in other gyms. We have a special place that’s given us great support.
“I know the team has been up and down this year, but our fans have been consistently there for us. They have never wavered. We need them again (tonight).”
The history of this series suggests that anything can happen. You might get a Petie Gibson buzzer-jumper from 25 feet to break the Aggies’ heart in The Pit or you might get a 75-foot buzzer-prayer from Clayton Shields to, well, break the Aggies’ heart in Cruces.
Of course, sometimes the unthinkable also happens. The Aggies have won a game or two in The Pit, including a 112-104 double-overtime classic on Dec. 11, 1993. But UNM is riding a five-game Pit streak over the Aggies. UNM leads the series 106-94 and has won six of the past nine games.
So, is The Pit safe tonight? The odds and the history definitely lean to UNM’s 30-13 edge in The Pit. But Faris said an obnoxious Pit crowd would be helpful for him to end his UNM career with no losses to Aggies in The Pit.
“No way I want to lose to these guys my senior year,” said Faris.
On paper, the Aggies don’t exactly look like streak busters when it comes to upsetting the 7-5 Lobos in University Arena. The Aggies are 5-5 on the season and these NMSU pups are even younger than the Lobos, especially in the starting lineup.
Lobos coach Steve Alford probably will letter four freshmen this season in A.J. Hardeman, Nate Garth, Will Brown and Phillip McDonald. But he has some solid upperclassmen in seniors Tony Danridge, Faris, Chad Toppert, and also in junior Roman Martinez.
NMSU coach Marvin Menzies, also a pup in his second season as a head coach, starts three freshmen and a sophomore along with junior Jonathan Gibson. The Aggies don’t have a problem with offense with three players averaging more than 14 points a game and Wendell McKines coming off the bench to toss in 12.9 points per game and 8.9 rebounds.
The Lobos counter with three players in double figures in Faris at 10.3, Martinez at 10.7 and Danridge at 12.9. That’s a contrast that kind of jumps at you. UNM’s top scorer matches the stats of a NMSU sub. The Lobos hope to counter with a better defensive effort than NMSU, with solid Lobo depth, and with a nasty, anti-Aggie Pit crowd.
“They are a young team, but they play very confident,” said Faris. “They are athletic and they are big. They have a bunch of new faces and they start three freshmen, who must be pretty good because they have McKines coming off the bench and he killed us last year.
“They are good inside and this is going to be a test for me and our other bigs (post players). And their guards are talented. They are going to slash and they are going to drive at the basket.”
The Lobos could use a little Pit love to take into their short holiday break, too. UNM is coming off an 86-78 loss at Texas Tech which snapped UNM’s four-game win streak. It was the most points the Lobos have allowed this season.
“After we watched the film, we saw our defense was horrible,” said Faris. “We just weren’t thinking. We score 45 points in the second half and weren’t able to win the game because we didn’t put together any string of (defensive) stops.
“All the games we’ve lost, it’s been because of our defense.”
The Aggies were hurt by some good defense Saturday in El Paso when the Miners beat NMSU 84-69 to snap a three-game Aggie win streak. UTEP held the Aggies to 32 percent shooting from the field. The Lobos are second in the MWC in field-goal percentage defense at 38.9 percent.
Lobo Notes: The UNM ticket offices at The Pit and at the UNM Bookstore will be closed from Dec. 24 to Jan. 4. Both sites open on Jan. 5, 2009 at 8:30 a.m. Tickets are always available at www.unmtickets.com. … The Lobos are 37-1 in the last 38 non-conference home games. UNM is 6-1 in The Pit this season. … UNM has won 25 straight games when allowing fewer than 60 points. … Senior Chad Toppert is tied for third place in career 3-pointers with Ruben Douglas at 218.