Jan. 30, 2012
New Mexico Lobos Men’s Basketball – On The Mountain West Road
Tuesday: 8 p.m. (MT), New Mexico Lobos at Air Force Falcons
On The Air The Mtn-TV; 770-AM KKOB/Lobo Radio Network
GoLobos.com: Game Story, Stats, GameTracker, LoboTV
By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com
The “thank you” the Lobos almost threw at Air Force was almost huge. The Falcons took mighty UNLV into overtime and almost beat them – almost. Still, there is a measure of thanks that Lobo Coach Steve Alford can throw at the Falcons for that UNLV score.
For sure, those numbers have to place Alford’s Lobos at full attention heading into Tuesday’s 8 p.m. tip with the Falcons and their mind-numbing Princeton offense. The message for the Lobos is simple enough:
Hey, the Falcons took into overtime a UNLV team that spanked you guys by 17 in Vegas. So, get serious. And play some defense, too!
“We have to hit the road now and keep up the defensive pressure which is where it’s really going to count,” said Lobo Kendall Williams.
Yeah, defense is important on the road for a number of reasons. 1- Shots don’t always fall on the road. 2- You can’t pack the love of The Pit in your bags.
And against Air Force, the importance of defense goes to a different (not higher) level because of what those sneaky Falcons do on offense. They throw out this Princeton thing which is as much a test of patience as it is in-your-face toughness.
“They run the Princeton offense over and over and over, trying to break you down,” said Alford. “You have to be disciplined and you have to be patient.
“They wait for you to have a breakdown. They wait for you to get back-cut. They want for you to miss an assignment and make a mistake and then they are very good at taking advantage of that mistake.”
The Princeton offense is a weave of motion that tries to beat teams with back-door layups, simple dribble drives, jump shots off screens and pop-outs that produce 3-point bombs. The Princeton is a maze of deceit, execution, precision, passing and setting screens.
If the Falcons happen to mix in a high shooting percentage, well, they pull themselves up to the same level as teams possessing more pure talent – like UNLV.
Air Force lost to the No.12 ranked Rebels 65-63 when the Rebs turned up the defensive heat in overtime. The Falcons had seven turnovers in OT and managed to launch only a single shot.
Air Force was paced in that game by Michael Lyons, who scored 25 points. Freshman Kamryn Williams had 13 points and Taylor Broekhuis had 11 points. The Falcons did a decent job controlling the tempo and led 56-51 with 3:33 to play.
Moser said the loss should help the Falcons learn how to “close games.” The Lobos will be hoping that lesson hasn’t yet been learned.
“It’s a big game for us,” said UNM’s Phillip McDonald. “These next two games coming up are big games for us. San Diego State dropped one and that put us in the hunt.”
Lyons is the first Falcon you want to stop. He averages 14.7 points on the season. Mike Fitzgerald is the only other Falcon in double figures at 11.2 points per game. Fitzgerald shoots at a 40 percent clip from long range. Air Force is 11-8 on the year and 9-3 at home.
On defense, the Falcons like to throw out a matchup zone that also can test a team’s patience on offense. The Falcons make you work for your shots. The Air Force tactics at both ends of the court usually keep the score down which usually keeps the disciplined Falcons in the game.
“We have to switch our mindset for Air Force. They are a difficult team,” said UNM’s McDonald. “They really move the ball and share the ball and you have to really pay attention to details with Air Force.”
The Air Force game is the third of four games that Alford has wedged into his “13 days of challenge.” His goal over this stretch is to end the first half of the Mountain West race with only two losses while making his Lobos tough enough to challenge San Diego State and UNLV for the 2012 title.
Practice is very intense right now,” said McDonald. “Coach is very intense right now. Every time he steps onto the court, he is giving it his all. We are trying to build some toughness out there. We are showing signs of toughness. I think we are getting tougher and becoming a better ball club.”
The Mountain West race has SDSU and UNLV tied at 4-1 with UNM, Wyoming and Colorado State at 3-2. Really, it looks like a three-horse race between Lobos, Rebels and Aztecs, but, as Alford notes: “It’s a tough conference.”
The Aztecs lost at CSU last week and UNLV had to go into overtime at Boise State and at Air Force. If a team loses focus, another team will knock it down. That’s also a point of emphasis with Alford’s 13-day challenge.
“It’s 13 days,” said Alford. “We don’t quit after seven. We felt we had to group these (four) games together. We’ll have plenty of time to get ready for Wyoming and the second half of the season. This is really a difficult stretch.
“Air Force is having one of its better years since I’ve been in the league. They are playing extremely well.”
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NEW MEXICO LOBOS 2011-12 ROSTER/STATISICS
| Possible Starters | HT | Position | Season Statistics |
21 – Tony Snell 6-7Wing13.1 Pts. – 3.2 Rebs
32 – Drew Gordon 6-9Post12.4 Pts. – 10.7 Rebs.
10 – Kendall Williams 6-3Guard12.0 Pts. – 4.4 Asts..
00 – A.J. Hardeman 6-8Forward4.4 Pts. – 3.8 Rebs.
03 – Hugh Greenwood 6-3Guard5.7 Pts. – 2.8 Asts.
| The NM Bench | HT | Position | Season Statistics |
13 – Jamal Fenton 5-9Guard7.4 Pts. – 2.7 Asts.
40 – Demetrius Walker 6-2Guard6.7 Pts. – 2.5 Rebs.
23 – Phillip McDonald 6-5Guard6.9 Pts. – 1.7 Rebs.
04 – Chad Adams 6-6Wing3.7 Pts. – 1.6 Rebs.
41 – Cameron Bairstow 6-9Post3.7 Pts. – 3.7 Rebs.
05 – Dominique Dunning 6-4Guard1.7 Pts. – 1.1 Rebs.
02 – Chris Perez 6-1Guard0.5 Pts. – 0.0 Rebs.