Dec. 16, 2011
UNM Notes: at All-College Classic
New Mexico Lobos Men’s Basketball – All-College Classic – Oklahoma City
Saturday: 8:30 p.m.(MT) – Lobos (7-2) vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-3) – Chesapeake Energy Arena
On The Air: ESPN2; 770-AM KKOB – Lobo Radio Network
GoLobos.com: Game Story, Stats, GameTracker
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
To run or not to run, really isn’t the question for Steve Alford’s Lobos. They will run. Ditto for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
But who will play the best defense and hit the boards like a mean, mother bear?
“They want a lot of possessions in the game. They want it to be a high-scoring game,” said Alford. “We’re in favor of that as well.
“It will be a test (on defense). Somebody’s defense is going to have to crack.”
Alford says his Lobos are looking forward to a little motion after the Southern California Trojans tried to put the Lobos to sleep in a 44-41 Lobo win/yawner in Los Angeles.
The Cowboys like to run out of transition formed by nasty defense and rebounding. But they also slow it down on the defensive end by trying to slow down their opponents.
The Cowboys allow 62.9 points per game and 39 percent shooting. They like to make teams work on offense. If a team becomes frustrated at the offensive end vs. the Cowboys, they’ll gun you down at the other end by running off your mistakes.
“It’s a different kind of style, which we’re excited about,” said Alford of what the Cowboys will try to do in the Chesapeake Energy Arena. “We are not going into this game thinking we have to slow it up or change who we are. We’re going into this thing to do the things that we do.
“We like transition play. If that’s the type of game it’s going to get into, we just have to do a better job defensively.”
The Lobos found a way to win and stay awake in their 44-41 win at USC. The Lobos’ alertness will be tested several ways in Oklahoma City. The Cowboys will test – and attack — a team at both ends of the court. The Lobos need to find a few cracks in the Oklahoma State attack.
“When we go on the road, it’s about winning,” said Alford.
Technically, neither the Lobos nor the Cowboys are on the road in the Ramada All-College Classic. It’s a neutral site – kind of. The Cowboys make the 66-mile trip down I-35, leaving behind Stillwater, Okla., in favor of Oklahoma City. The Lobo/Cowboy game will be preceded by Oklahoma vs. Houston.
This is the 76th All-College Classic which moved from a tourney format to a doubleheader format in 2001. Oklahoma State is 71-17 in this tourney and 8-2 since it became a doubleheader. The Cowboys are 13-4 at this site. The tourney has included greats such as Elgin Baylor, K.C. Jones, Karl Malone, Pete Maravich, Bill Russell and Robert Parish.
“It’s a great Classic for us to be in. It’s national coverage (ESPN). It’s big,” said Alford. “It’s a great opportunity for you as a basketball program to make a statement of selling who you are, selling your product.”
Alford also has to sell his Lobos on the importance of consistent basketball at both ends of the court. The Cowboys will not simply try to outrun or outscore you. They like to play defense, too.
It’s a game in which the bench could be a key ingredient. “We’re deep,” said Alford. “We have 11 guys we can throw out there. I really like what our bench is doing.”
The Cowboys have some depth, too, with 10 players averaging in double-digit minutes. The Cowboys are paced by sub Le’Bryan Nash with a 13.4 average. Keiton Page scores at a 12.0 clip and Markel Brown averages 10.6 points and 6.1 boards.
The Cowboys are not huge (“We can match their size,” said Alford), but do have a solid inside presence in 6-foot-11 Philip Jurick, who averages 6.2 rebounds and has 22 blocks on the year. Jurick is not a scorer, averaging 2.1 points per game.
Oklahoma State’s top inside scorer is 6-6 Jean-Paul Olukemi with a 9.0 average.
The Cowboys list only one senior (Page) in their top ten. They are coming off a 76-68 loss to No. 15 Pittsburgh. Pitt won that game by dominating the boards, 43-25, and outscoring the Cowboys in the paint, 40-26. The 6-3 Cowboys also lost to Stanford and West Virginia.
The Lobos have three players scoring in double figures: Tony Snell (13.1), Drew Gordon (10.9) and Kendall Williams (10.9).
|
NEW MEXICO LOBOS 2011-12 ROSTER/STATS
| Possible Starters | HT | Position | Season Statistics |
21 – Tony Snell 6-7Wing13.1 Pts. – 3.2 Rebs
32 – Drew Gordon 6-9Post10.9 Pts. – 9.6 Rebs.
10 – Kendall Williams 6-3Guard10.9 Pts. – 4.7 Asts..
03 – Hugh Greenwood 6-3Guard5.9 Pts. – 3.2 Asts.
00 – A.J. Hardeman 6-8Forward4.4 Pts. – 4.6 Rebs.
| The NM Bench | HT | Position | Season Statistics |
40 – Demetrius Walker 6-2Guard8.7 Pts. – 2.6 Rebs.
13 – Jamal Fenton 5-9Guard4.7 Pts. – 1.6 Asts.
04 – Chad Adams 6-6Wing3.7 Pts. – 1.5 Rebs.
23 – Phillip McDonald 6-5Guard4.1 Pts. – 1.6 Rebs.
41 – Cameron Bairstow 6-9Post5.0 Pts. – 3.9 Rebs.
05 – Dominique Dunning 6-4Guard1.0 Pts. – 1.0 Rebs.
02 – Chris Perez 6-1Guard0.0 Pts. – 0.0 Rebs.