Feb. 26, 2010
Saturday: Lobos at Brigham Young, 2 p.m., Provo, Utah
On The Air: Versus (TV); 770-AM KKOB
On GoLobos.com: GameTracker, game story, stats
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
It is a Lobo game with more storylines than a Quentin Tarantino movie, more drama than “Desperate Housewives” and “24” combined. It also is a game that at its core needs little extra hype. But we’ll take what this one brings.
When Lobos battle Brigham Young Cougars it’s always a back-alley, cat fight – another one of those games you just roll the ball out onto to the court, get out of the way, and let the blood of age-old rivalries steam to the surface and take over.
The Cougars will be drawing a line in the dirt Saturday and telling the Lobos, “It stops here.” The Lobos will step forward.
Of course, this one is hotter than usual. A Mountain West title is on the line, NCAA seeding, MWC tourney seeding, national rankings, and maybe MWC Coach and Player of The Year honors.
Still, when you scratch the heart of this hardwood dispute, you come up with simplicity: Lobos hate to lose to Cougars and Cougars hate to lose to Lobos. It will be pride vs. pride, tradition vs. tradition and great athletes vs. great athletes.
It will be Cougars clawing to defend their turf and Lobos looking to take something away. “We know what lies ahead of us,” said Lobo coach Steve Alford.
What lies ahead of the Lobos is the tireless attack of one of the best transition teams in college ball backed by a sold-out Marriott Center with 22,700 pro-Cougars bringing down love for one team and heat for the other. The Lobos will get the heat.
“They are going to be on us from the second we step off the bus,” said Lobo senior Roman Martinez.
The Cougars’ running game will be on the Lobos from the beginning, too. This is a huge key. Stop BYU out of transition, don’t let Jimmer Fredette (21.7 points per game), Jackson Emery (12.4) and Tyler Haws (11.7) go off as a trio, and the Lobos have a shot. Oh,yeah, and watch out for that Tavernari guy off the bench.
Let that trio dance in the Marriott and the Lobos will have to look for help to grab a MWC crown. “I think they are the best transition team in the country,” said Alford. “They run extremely hard and move the ball through the air and not on the bounce.”
Said Martinez: “They score in spurts. They really, really look to score in transition. They love getting easy buckets.”
The Cougars won’t have it easy either. The Lobos have a nice transition game paced by Darington Hobson (15.5), Martinez (13.9), Dairese Gary (11.9) and Phillip McDonald (11.2). The Lobos also are nasty out of their half-court sets and inflict damage from 3-point range and on the boards. UNM’s inside combo of A.J. Hardeman and Will Brown are board bangers.
UNM’s Hobson and BYU’s Jimmer are top candidates for MWC Player of The Year honors. Alford probably is a lock for Coach of The Year, but BYU’s Dave Rose is a nose behind.
Alford says he wants his Lobos to go into Provo relaxed and focused and enjoy the moment. Some general probably said the same thing to his troops before telling them to storm a machine gun. This game in Provo will not be easy. BYU has won 21 straight on its court. The Lobos have lost nine straight at BYU.
“BYU has been heavyweight ever since this conference started,” said Martinez. “They are tough to play over there (Provo). But I think we have confidence going into other people’s buildings. We have a different swagger.”
This also is more of a “must” game for the Cougars. They still have to visit Utah over in Salt Lake City. The Lobos close in The Pit vs. TCU. If the Cougars fail to defend their floor against New Mexico, it’s difficult to envision the 2010 MWC championship banner hanging in the Marriott Center.
“There is going to be pressure. It’s a difficult game,” said Alford. “Our guys are highly motivated. They are hungry. Win or lose, you are part of something the Mountain West Conference has never seen.
“You have two Top 10 teams in the same league going head-to-head with identical records. That’s an exciting game.”
The Lobos and BYU are 26-3. UNM is 12-2 in MWC play and BYU is 11-2. The Lobos are on an MWC record-setting 12-game win streak in league play. UNM is ranked No 10/12; BYU is No. 13/11. These aren’t just MWC heavyweights going at it. These are national bullies.
“We’ve won 12 games in a row and we are tied in the lost column (with BYU),” said Alford. “Most leagues, you win 12 in a row and you got a two-game lead. That tells you how good BYU is.”
The Cougars have looked real good lately. They beat Air Force 91-48, beat Colorado State 92-70, beat Wyoming 85-63 and ran away from San Diego State 82-68 Wednesday night in Provo. The Aztecs shot 50 percent in the second half and lost by 14 points.
The Cougars ran. The Cougars got 26 points from Fredette. The Cougars attacked and got 21 points off the free throw line. BYU also outrebounded SDSU, by one.
“We want their bigs (post players) to have to make plays,” said Alford. “Holding (their guards) down in their building is going to be really difficult.”
A Lobo upset in Provo would give UNM the top seed in the MWC Tournament and bring Alford and UNM back-to-back league titles. That’s important stuff, but maybe not as important as the core goal here – beat Brigham Young.
“We’re trying to finish it off right,” said Martinez. “We have it in us.”
Editor’s Note: Richard Stevens is the former Associate Sports Editor and sports columnist for The Albuquerque Tribune. You can reach him at rstevens50@comcast.net