March 16, 2009
Lobo Basketball
What: Lobos vs. Nebraska – 2009 NIT
When/Where: 8 p.m. Tuesday — The Pit
TV: ESPNU
Radio: 770-AM KKOB
/ Lobo Radio Network
Online: GameTracker on GoLobos.com
By Richard Stevens — Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
New York City isn’t such a bad destination place. Detroit is overrated.
Madison Square Garden isn’t such an awful venue. There have been more than a few marquee headliners in The Garden over the years and the seasons. The Lobos might just want to walk that road to The Big Apple.
The Lobos’ name might look good in lights above an off-Broadway production such as the NIT Final Four. Like someone once said, if the chicken-salad NCAA Selection Committee hands you the NIT, you might as well make lemonade. Or something like that.
“It is what it is,” said Lobo coach Steve Alford on his Mountain West Conference champs’ NCAA snub that places Lobos in the NIT field.
And it’s really not such a bad 32-team field. Heck, there is Kentucky, Florida, Georgetown, Kansas State, Illinois. There are four teams that won 26 games. This might not be the best tournament in America, but it’s a good one.
Sure, the BCS-driven NCAA Selection Committee disrespected the Lobos and the MWC. But but what goes down as a slap to some Lobos is a gift to other Lobos.
Hey, is it really such a bad thing to get Lobos in The Pit one more time? Don’t you want to see the UNM seniors shine again?
Maybe Tony Danridge will give us one more earth-shaking dunk or maybe another 29-point performance? And how about a couple more Chad Toppert treys from the bleachers?
And admit it. All Lobo fans get a kick out of the boyish Daniel Faris thumping on his chest, flexing his muscles, and crowing his way down the Bob King after a blocked shot or a dunk.
The key here is for the Lobos, and The Pit, to get fired up for Nebraska’s NIT visit. The MWC co-champs probably had a resume good enough to go to the NCAA dance, but like Alford said: it is what it is.
Sometimes the toughest hurdle in NIT play is deciding you really want to walk that road to New York City as far as you can go. Faris says his gym shoes are ready to walk.
“I get to play in The Pit again. We still get to play basketball,” said Faris. “We’re still happy we get to play in postseason.”
Faris already is back in regular-season form – well, as far as the “one-game-at-a-time” line that lives on the lips and dances off the lips of players and coaches.
“If we start looking ahead like, `Oh, we get to do this, we get to go there,’ then we are going to lose the first game (NIT),” he said. “If we aren’t prepared for (Nebraska) and we don’t have the energy for this game, we’ll get beat.
“We have to try and find a way to get the win and keep this season going as long as possible. It comes down to this next game.”
The next game is 18-12 Nebraska. Not a bad team and maybe an underachieving Big 12 team that looks at the NIT as a form of redemption. The Cornhuskers play a mean defense, yielding 59.9 points per game. They take care of the basketball, 16th in nation in fewest turnovers.
Nebraska doesn’t always rebound with a lot of passion and the Huskers aren’t always that smooth on offense, but they beat Texas Tech and Creighton and the Lobos didn’t.
“They are a scrappy team and they get after you defensively. It has all the making of a great matchup,” said Alford. “We’re excited about the NIT. We’re excited about getting to play another game in The Pit.”
Alford was blunt in saying he “thinks our conference lacks respect nationally.” He said “that came out” in the 65-team NCAA field that only included two MWC teams – Utah and Brigham Young. But Alford also see the benefits in keeping his young Lobos in uniforms for as long as possible.
Practice time and games should only help the young Lobos who return to the UNM roster in 2009-10. Not only that, Alford kind of likes to hang around the gym and coach basketball.
“We’re on spring break, so it’s 24/7 basketball,” said Alford. “Hopefully, our guys can relax and play. There was a lot of pressure on our guys (in the MWC race). I think they felt that pressure going to Las Vegas.
“Hopefully we can get into Season Four (postseason) and they can play with some ease and not so much pressure.”
And hopefully the Lobos can march down that NIT road – maybe run all the way to New York.
“I think we could make a run,” said Faris.
Editor’s Note: Richard Stevens is a former Associate Sports Editor and sports columnist for The Albuquerque Tribune. You can reach him at rstevens50@comcast.net. Previous GoLobo.com articles can be found on The Richard Stevens Corner.