Stevens: Neal’s Lobos Open MW in Pit vs. Bulldogs

December 30, 2014

New Mexico Lobos Men’s Basketball – In WisePies Arena

When/Who: 5 p.m., Wednesday – Fresno State (5-8, 0-0 MW) at New Mexico (8-4, 0-0 MW)

On The Air: 770-AM KKOB/Lobo Radio Network; ESPN3 & ESPN3.com

GoLobos.com: Game Story, Complete Stats, LoboTV, Quotes

By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com

The formula for Craig Neal’s Lobos to win the 2015 Mountain West title really is a complicated stew that already has a few of the necessary ingredients, but also is in need of a few more spices.

Neal’s Lobos get their first taste of the Mountain West wars at 5 p.m., Wednesday in WisePies Arena when the up-and-down Fresno State Bulldogs come for a visit.

There are a few things Neal knows he will see from his Lobos vs. Fresno: honest effort and in-your-face defense are two of them.

But will his Lobos be consistent and will his Lobos make a few shots? Those questions might be asked more than once during the 2015 race, but they definitely will be asked Wednesday in The Pit.

“We have to make shots,” said Neal. “I can’t make shots for them. All I can do is put them in spots.”

Yeah, Neal has given his Lobos a few good spots from which to make jumpers. His Lobos also have found a few spots of their own making. They are shooting 43 percent from the field while posting an 8-4 record, but the losses obviously have been influenced by missed shots.

“A lot of our problems right now as a team are we’re taking shots that guys can’t make,” said Neal. “They think they can make ‘em, but they can’t.

“We have a lot of shot takers, but not a lot of shot makers. A lot of it is they are taking shots that aren’t good shots. A degree of difficulty is not something you want.”

Hugh Greenwood

Senior Deshawn Delaney is one of the better shooting Lobos at .535 percent and one reason for Delaney’s good shooting eye is he often is around the rim when he shoots. He drives. He dunks. He is nasty on the offensive glass. He also is extremely important to the UNM offense.

“Deshawn has to play at a high level,” said Neal.

Ditto for Hugh Greenwood. Delaney will bring a 14.6 scoring average at Fresno State and Greenwood hits at a 10.8 clip. Those numbers might be fine if Cullen Neal (17.0) and Arthur Edwards were still healthy, but they are not. Neal won’t play Wednesday and Edwards is doubtful. Even if Edwards sees the court, he is rusty, probably not at full strength and has only played in five of the Lobos 12 games.

What all this means is that a whole bunch of other Lobos need to raise their game and play at a higher level. That didn’t happen Dec. 23 at Grand Canyon where the Lobos suffered a hurtful 68-65 loss.

“They have to come together as a unit and figure out what is important and do the little things to win games,” said Neal. “We don’t have a big margin of error. If we don’t play at certain level, at a certain intensity or with a certain urgency, we aren’t that good.”

The little things usually crop up to influence the scoreboard and more so in close games – and more so when you haven’t yet hit your full stride on offense. The Lobos have not hit that stride and might not get Cullen Neal back this season. The talented sophomore is trying to come back from a severe high-ankle sprain, but he already has missed nine games.

There is a player/program issue here. What’s best for Neal as a player is an issue. But would the Lobo program be better off having a healthy (and quick) Neal for a whole season rather than bring him back at less than full speed for the remainder of 2015. It’s a tough question that won’t be answered on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the Lobos have to figure out Fresno State. The Bulldogs are coming off a 93-62 feel-good romp over Saint Katherine College in a tune-up game to carry into The Pit. The Bulldogs had four players in double figures and shot 58.5 percent from the floor.

The Bulldogs probably are eyeing their trip to The Pit as a good shot at an early Mountain West road win. The Lobos did not play well at Grand Canyon. The Lobos are still not at full strength.

Coach Neal said the scouting report on his Lobos is easy enough to read. You put your best perimeter defender on Greenwood. You try to keep Delaney from slashing with the ball or terrorizing the offensive glass.

And you challenge the rest of the Lobos to beat you. The rest of the Lobos can be very good – and they can be inconsistent.

“Who is that guy?” Neal asked about his Lobos having a go-to scorer. “We don’t have that guy where if we need a basket, we throw it to him. Our identity is still a little out there as to who we are?

“We have shown that we can play at a high level. Now, can they sustain it and keep improving. We took a step back (at Grand Canyon). “

The obvious concerning Wednesday’s MW run is that both teams start the conference season at 0-0 – like all the other Mountain West teams. The Lobos need to defend their home turf. The Bulldogs are looking for a road breakthrough. UNM also will play host to Colorado State at 6 p.m., Saturday.

“The biggest thing for us is we get two home games,” said Neal. “To get off to a good start is always important. We have a chance to jump out with two home games.

“It’s going to be a tough game. They (Bulldogs) are very talented, but they haven’t gotten off to a good start. They are trying to find themselves because they have some new guys, too.”

Neal said he will take a closer look at his rotation (playing time) now that his Lobos are entering the MW race. “You can’t keep making the same mistake over and over and over again and expect to play,” said Neal. “That’s not going to fly anymore.”

Neal said he told his Lobos that they have all the ingredients to be a championship team.

“But they have to do it. I think we have to rely on our defense. Hopefully, our mental toughness will get better and we’ll make some more plays. We are going to have to play a lot better and get some bigger contributions from some people.

“But we aren’t going in thinking that we can’t (win the title).”

Editor’s Note: Richard Stevens is a former national award-winning Sports Columnist and Associate Sports Editor at The Albuquerque Tribune. You can reach him at rstevens50@comcast.net.

The New Mexico Lobos’ 2014-15 Roster

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