Jan. 20, 2012
New Mexico Lobos Men’s Basketball – On The Mountain West Road
Saturday: 8 p.m., San Diego State at New Mexico Lobos
On The Air CBS Sports Net (TV); 770-AM KKOB/Lobo Radio Network
GoLobos.com: Game Story, Stats, GameTracker, LoboTV
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
In noting that his Lobos’ 75-70 Pit loss to San Diego State “mirrored” New Mexico’s Pit loss to New Mexico State, Lobo Coach Steve Alford might have launched a ray of hope for UNM’s visit to Vegas.
After the NMSU game, the Lobos bounced back for a win on the road. Then, after a loss to Santa Clara, the Lobos rolled out their best basketball of the season and rode a 13-game win streak into the SDSU game. That streak also started with a win away from The Pit.
But that ray of sunshine also comes with a lot of storm clouds and with a No. 14/20 ranked UNLV Rebels’ team that still might be the best basketball team in the Mountain West.
“This will be the best basketball team we’ve played in the best environment we’ve played in,” said Alford. “So, it’s going to be a tough task. The Thomas & Mack Center is a tough environment and they (Rebels) are outstanding.
“They are a really good, deep basketball team. We have our hands full.”
There are a few scores that quickly put the Rebs into perspective.
They beat then-No. 1 North Carolina, 90-80.
They lost at San Diego State by two points despite shooting 35 percent from the floor.
They just pounded TCU 101-78 in the Thomas & Mack.
The Rebs can light up the scoreboard. They scored 124 vs. Central Arkansas. They top the Mountain with an 81.6 scoring average. The also lead the Mountain in blocked shots, assists, steals, offensive rebounds and assist/turnover ratio.
The 17-3 Rebs like to run, but they also take care of the basketball. That’s a deadly combination, especially at home where UNLV has not lost a game this season (11-0).
The odds favor UNLV in the Thomas & Mack more than they favor a slot machine on the Vegas Strip. The Rebs have won five of the past six games with UNM played in Vegas.
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The Rebs’ version of running a half-court offense is when a Reb has to stand at the free-throw line. Other than that, it’s go, go, go. |
For sure, the Lobos are bucking the odds a bit on this trip, but the Lobos are a good team full of good shooters and have yet to lose a true road game this season.
“Our guys have a lot of confidence on the road,” said senior Phillip McDonald. “We’ve been a good road team this year. We need to step it up. We really need this game.”
The Lobos need the game for the obvious reason that if you expect to outrace UNLV or SDSU to the Mountain West crown, you probably have to beat them. At this point, SDSU and UNLV are the frontrunners, just like in women’s basketball.
There also is another reason the Lobos need to pull the upset in Vegas. The Lobos have that Pit loss to SDSU. That means UNM is pressured to pull an upset on the road. Here’s their chance.
“Anytime in league, when you lose a home game, that makes it difficult,” said Alford. “Losing this one (to SDSU) puts our back against the wall early in the conference race and we have to make up for that on the road.”
Obviously, it’s tough to win in Vegas and this will be a tough Rebels’ team to master. The Rebs run deep with nine players averaging 14 minutes to 30 minutes of playing time.
The Rebs have five players averaging 9.1 points or more: 6-8 Chace Stanback (14.7), 6-8 Mike Moser (14.0), 6-3 Anthony Marshall (12.3), 6-3 Justin Hawkins (9.5) and 6-2 Oscar Bellfield (9.1).
The top five Rebs off the bench bring with them a 30.3 scoring average. Moser, another UCLA transfer, is a beast inside, averaging 11.4 boards. He had 16 points and 18 rebounds against North Carolina. He has 50 assists on the year.
Stanback, who came to Vegas from UCLA, shoots 48 percent from 3-point range. He has made 50 3-pointers and 47 two-pointers. His 6-8 frame gives teams defensive nightmares on the perimeter. He threw down 28 points vs. North Carolina.
The Rebs have another big shooting guard in Marshall, who makes it tough for team’s to worry too much about Stanback. Marshall scored 26 at SDSU. He had 27 vs. TCU and is shooting around 55 percent over the past six games.
Bellfield runs a nice show for the Rebs and has 105 assists on the year. UNM’s top passer, Kendall Willliams, has 75 assists. The Vegas length and athleticism also is reflected in the Rebs’ 108 blocks. UNM has 64 blocks. Vegas has 172 steals in 19 games. UNM has 143 steals in 18 games.
You probably don’t really want to run with Vegas in the Thomas & Mack, but that’s what both teams do well. “Saturday, it’s four guards and we’re big,” said Alford. “So, you have to win that big deal.”
The Lobos have more of a true post in 6-9 Drew Gordon (12.6 pts., 10.4 rebs.), but Vegas compensates nicely with the mobile, 6-8 Moser (14.0/11.4). The Lobos can be effective in a half-court offense looking inside to Gordon.
The Rebs’ version of running a half-court offense is when a Reb has to stand at the free-throw line. Other than that, it’s go, go, go.
The Lobos have Gordon, but UNM’s strength on offense is an inside-outside combination that involves the Lobo guards. UNM has talent on the edge in Kendall Williams, Tony Snell, Jamal Fenton, Demetrius Walker, Phillip McDonald and Hugh Greenwood. Greenwood is still coming off an ankle sprain and might not be up for the pace expected to hit the Thomas & Mack.
Another key for UNM will be matching Vegas’ ferocity level. The Lobos failed to do that when the Aztecs invaded The Pit.
“We weren’t tough enough,” Alford said after that Pit loss. “This was a difficult week and it didn’t start out well for us. We have to pick things up and we have to make some adjustments and play better on Saturday.”
Did you know? UNLV is 13-0 in Las Vegas, 11-0 at home, but only 10-0 in the Thomas & Mack. Confused? The Rebs played three games in Vegas’ Orleans Arena and one of those wins counted as a home game. UNLV’s average home win is by 24.3 points while averaging 87.8 points.
Steve Alford – Fighting For His Lobos! |
NEW MEXICO LOBOS 2011-12 ROSTER/STATISICS
| Possible Starters | HT | Position | Season Statistics |
21 – Tony Snell 6-7Wing12.8 Pts. – 3.3 Rebs32 – Drew Gordon 6-9Post12.6 Pts. – 10.4 Rebs.10 – Kendall Williams 6-3Guard11.9 Pts. – 4.4 Asts..13 – Jamal Fenton 5-9Guard7.6 Pts. – 2.8 Asts.00 – A.J. Hardeman 6-8Forward4.4 Pts. – 3.9 Rebs.
| The NM Bench | HT | Position | Season Statistics |
40 – Demetrius Walker 6-2Guard7.3 Pts. – 2.7 Rebs.03 – Hugh Greenwood 6-3Guard5.9 Pts. – 2.8 Asts.04 – Chad Adams 6-6Wing3.8 Pts. – 1.4 Rebs.23 – Phillip McDonald 6-5Guard6.6 Pts. – 1.7 Rebs.41 – Cameron Bairstow 6-9Post3.5 Pts. – 3.6 Rebs.05 – Dominique Dunning 6-4Guard2.0 Pts. – 1.3 Rebs.02 – Chris Perez 6-1Guard0.6 Pts. – 0.0 Rebs.