Nov. 23, 2011
New Mexico Game Notes-Santa
Clara 
Opponent Game Notes-Santa
Clara
New Mexico Lobos Men’s Basketball – 76 Classic – Anaheim, Calif.
Thursday: 7 p.m., Lobos (2-1) vs. Santa Clara (2-1) – Anaheim Convention Center
On The Air: ESPN-U; 770-AM KKOB – Lobo Radio Network
GoLobos.com: Game Recap, Stats, GameTracker
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
The Lobos are nesting on Disneyland property for five days and, yes, there is a chance they might see Mickey Mouse or Tinker Bell.
But Lobo coach Steve Alford also has a not-so-subtle message for his Lobos: Quit Mickey Mousing around on defense.
One aspect of basketball that Alford knows his Lobos need to honor and carry throughout the 2011-12 season is on the defensive end. Shots don’t always fall. Shooting is never 100 percent. But defense can be 100 percent effort.
Alford said his Lobos took a few steps back on the defensive end in a Pit loss to New Mexico State and a road win at Arizona State. He wants to see better defense at the 76 Classic being played in Anaheim, Calif.
“We have to get a lot better defensively,” said Alford. “We have to be a team defensively that keeps getting better each week. In the last two games, we’ve seen some things on tape we weren’t seeing the week before. That’s disconcerting.”
The Lobos’ defensive challenge Thursday against Santa Clara probably will come primarily from the edge. The Broncos like to bomb it. Their top gunners are Kevin Foster (14.7 average), who led the nation in 3-pointers a year back. Teammate Evan Roquemore scores at a 12.0 clip. Inside, the Broncos get solid production from forwards John McArthur (10.0) and Niyi Harrison (12.3).
The Broncos looked good in beating San Jose State (84-58); not so good in an 89-56 spanking at UC Santa Barbara.
“They like to shoot a lot of threes,” said Alford. “They make nine threes a game. We have to defend the 3-point line. That’s probably going to be the most important thing.”
The Lobos will match up athletically with most teams on the perimeter. Alford has lots of guards. UNM isn’t deep inside, but the Lobos’ edge on Santa Clara might be inside-outside balance. Alford says he prefers a three-guard, two-big look – when he can get it.
“I like to keep it where we’re playing big-big,” said the UNM coach.
The Lobos have run into some foul trouble that has limited his rotation of Drew Gordon, A.J. Hardeman and Cameron Bairstow. Hardeman went to Anaheim fighting a bug, but Chad Adams has returned to active duty. Adams is a swing player, who can play on the perimeter or use his lanky 6-6 frame inside. Tony Snell also can move inside, but is better suited for duty on the edge.
“(Chad) has to work himself back in (the lineup),” said Alford. “Anytime you miss a lot of games like that, it’s a trust factor. I have to feel I can put him in and he’ll get the job done. He has to continue to practice well.”
The Lobos open the tourney with Santa Clara at 7 p.m., Thursday and move on to play either Oklahoma or Washington State on Friday at either 7:30 p.m., or 10 p.m., (MT). Villanova, Boston College, UC Riverside and St. Louis are on the other side of the bracket. The tourney finals are set for Sunday, with Saturday a day off.
Yes, teams can go play with Mickey or Donald. Or practice their defense. “I don’t know how much we’ll be able to do that,” said Alford, referring to Disneyland. For sure, the Lobos will practice on defense.
Alford says this three-game stop in Anaheim benefits the Lobos in several ways. There is good road competition. The area is a huge recruiting base. The tourney is on ESPN.
“Being on ESPN is huge” said Alford. “We scheduled this and got into this mainly because of the national exposure we’re going to get on ESPN. You have a lot of families sitting around watching TV. This is a high-volume TV weekend. It’s very important.
“If we are going to brand (Lobo basketball) nationally, which is the next push for us, this is a tremendous opportunity to get our name out there. It’s also in Anaheim. It’s in Los Angeles. That’s an area we want to continue to recruit. Anytime we can to into a hotbed to recruit and play well, that’s a benefit.”
The 76 Classic is loaded with talent and storylines. Lon Kruger, the ex-UNLV coach, is trying to work his magic rebuilding Oklahoma. Villanova has a former McDonald’s All-American in forward JayVaughn Pinkston, who sat out last year via team suspension.
St. Louis features former Pit enemy Rick Majerus (Utah), who now coaches at St. Louis. Majerus again will get a chance to be booed (respectfully) when his Billikens play in The Pit on Dec. 31. Boston College managed to lure four California players back East, so that program also would like to look good in Anaheim. And who wouldn’t want to look good on ESPN?
The Lobos have Gordon and super sophomore Kendall Williams, returning to their old stomping grounds. The last time Gordon played in the 76 Classic he was a UCLA Bruin. Williams, from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., almost went to UCLA before joining Alford at New Mexico. UNM’s Dominique Dunning is from Corona, Calif., as is walk-on Chris Perez.
If these Lobos get to venture over to Disneyland, they could have a family following. But one thing is for certain: If the Lobos Mickey Mouse it on defense, they won’t be riding any tea cups.
ESPN Prediction: The 76 Classic has a solid field and even through Alford says there is pressure on his Lobos “wherever they play,” some additional pressure comes from an ESPN blog that gives UNM the edge in this tourney. Here’s the ESPN take:
Predicted winner: New Mexico slips past Santa Clara, beats a rebuilding power conference team in the semis and then has what it takes to take down Villanova in the championship game. Williams and Gordon give the Lobos a nice inside-outside combo. They also have experienced seniors in A.J. Hardeman and Phillip McDonald, along with a potential impact freshman from Australia in Hugh Greenwood. Getting guard Chad Adams back from suspension would give them a full roster that will be needed for three games in four days.