March 20, 2010
NEW MEXICO-WASHINGTON GAME NOTES
Saturday: Lobos vs. Washington; 3:50 p.m. (MT)
On The Air: KRQE-TV (CBS; Channel 13 in Albq); 770-AM KKOB
GoLobos.com: Game story, stats
By Richard Stevens — Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
Lobo teams have gone NCAA dancing before and talked the talk about reaching the Sweet 16, that elusive, beckoning NCAA carrot that has dangled beyond New Mexico’s reach seemingly forever.
And the facts are the facts; history is history. No Lobo team has ever pushed past the second game of an NCAA 64-field team and into the loving embrace of the next level and all the national attention that comes with it.
The Sweet 16 is special. The magic of March Madness, last second shots, unsung heroes rising out of nowhere, stars being stars, officials missing a call — whatever — will have culled 48 wannabes out of the bracket and allowed the 16 strong to advance.
It’s time to walk the walk down the Road to Indianapolis or pack your bags and talk about “what ifs.”
The Lobos are in that situation Saturday in San Jose, Calif. They stand across from a Washington Huskies team caressing the same dreams and carrying skills similar to those carried by the Lobos.
Now, who is going to execute? Who is going to cut it on defense? Who is going to show poise and discipline down the stretch? Who is going to make their shots and dance on.?
“You only get moments like this now and then,” said Lobo coach Steve Alford. “There are no excuses.”
The 25-9 Huskies step into HP Pavilion in San Jose for their 3:50 p.m. (Mt) East Regional run riding an eight-game winning streak of confidence that included a successful run through the Pac-10 Tournament.
When the Huskies’ shots are falling, they are a marvel to watch. “A deadly team,” as UNM’s Roman Martinez put it.
The Lobos are 30-4, carry a 10-2 road record and used a 14-game run to grab the Mountain West Conference regular-season crown. UNM advanced with a 62-57 win over Montana paced by Gary’s toughness, Martinez’s clutch shooting, and Hobson’s all-around talent. UNM is 16-1 in its past 17 games.
The Huskies pushed their way into the NCAA off a strong late-season run and stayed hot in their 80-78 win over the No. 6 seed Marquette. Washington scratched out the first-round East Regional win in San Jose when senior Quincy Pondexter drove the lane and touched a game-winner off the glass with 1.7 seconds to play.
It was the Huskies’ eighth straight win and quite a dramatic one as they fought out of a 15-point hole with more than 13 minutes left. Pondexter also had 11 rebounds for the winners.
“He`s a handful,” said Alford of Pondexter. “It`s a tough matchup for us.”
The toughest matchups for any opponent looking at UNM are Gary and Darington Hobson. Hobson, the MWC Player of The Year, can beat you from the outside, beat you with a drive, kill you on the boards and damage you with his passing.
Gary will chew on your top guard all night and then hammer you with clutch drives down the stretch.
One reason that Martinez and Phillip McDonald are so effective on the perimeter is because of the drives of Gary and Hobson.
The Lobos’ win over the Grizzlies was a battle with tempo and a battle inside with Montana’s 6-foot-11 Brian Qvale, who worked the paint like a mean, mother bear. He scored 26 points.
The Lobos will not have that problem with Washington. The Huskies are lean runners. If a Washington player posts up, it might be more accidental than purposeful. Or did they spy a Lobo weakness vs. Montana?
“They really get the ball out and go,” said Lobo Dairese Gary.
Said Nate Garth: “We have the same style. It will be a test of who plays the toughest defense.”
Said Martinez: “We can’t look past Washington. It’s going to be 40 tough minutes. This is a team that can score in bunches. We have to come out with a sense of urgency.”
The Lobos’ urgency level in the first half against Montana probably was not at an all-time high. However, the Lobos scratched out of a 29-28 halftime hole and advanced to the second round. The Huskies don’t have the inside presence of a Qvale, who wasn’t really that much of a presence until the UNM game.
The Huskies do have UNLV-type, SDSU-type athletes. “They have a lot of people who can penetrate and they have shooters, too,” said Gary.
The Lobos stand on the edge of UNM history. That might not be such a big deal to this young UNM team which has so casually made a lot of UNM history this season. But the Sweet 16 is a big deal and difficult to reach. Probably the biggest thing is it means you are still alive and kicking — and dancing with all the other stars of the 2010 season.
“We are starting to feel it, starting to realize where we’re at,” said Gary. Where the Lobos are at is on the edge of history. Now, can they walk the walk?