When it comes to rivalries and drama, Tuesday night should be as intriguing as any show on TV.
The Lobos are back at home this week to host the Colorado State Rams, a team that inarguably has more than one reason to be craving a victory.
PREVIOUS MEETING
Last month, the Lobos walked away with an 84-71 victory over the Rams at Fort Collins, Colorado. But that wasn’t the big story.
With a little over two minutes remaining in the match, a fight nearly broke out after Lobo forward Joe Furstinger set a hard, but legal, screen on CSU guard J.D. Paige.
A screen is a blocking move in which an offensive player stands beside or behind a player from the opposite team. The move was clean, but Paige fell hard on the floor and required medical attention.
Before a fight could break out, Terrence Rencher and Chris Harriman, both members of the UNM coaching staff, left the bench to ensure Lobo players stayed away from the opposing team.
This led to ejections for both assistants, as they are not allowed to leave the bench under those circumstances. And things did not end there.
After the game, Albuquerque Journal reporter Geoff Grammer posted a video on Twitter that showed CSU player Emmanuel Omogbo appearing to start an argument with three members of the UNM coaching staff, but aimed mostly at Rencher.
The incident went from an argument in a parking lot to a national conversation about sportsmanship.
The Mountain West released a statement saying several individuals involved in the situation used poor judgment and that the type of behavior was not acceptable. However, the conference left it up to each individual school to take action against their personnel.
UNM Athletics Director Paul Krebs said Rencher would receive a letter of reprimand. Not long after, the assistant coach released a statement apologizing for the way the situation played out, regretting the “momentary lapse in judgment.”
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COLORADO STATE
With an 18-9 overall record and a 10-4 conference record, CSU finds itself in the third spot of the Mountain West standings, one ahead of the Lobos.
The Rams offense has been led by Gian Clavell, who averages 18.7 points per game. The redshirt senior was suspended from the team back on Nov. 9 after an arrest on a misdemeanor charge of false imprisonment with a domestic violence enhancement, according to the CSU Collegian. He missed a total of nine games, though the Rams went 7-2 in his absence.
Colorado State’s journey has been anything but easy, and things got more difficult at the beginning of the spring semester. At that point the Rams’ roster was cut down to seven players, due to three players failing to meet a 1.9 GPA, the minimum required by the NCAA, during the fall semester. The Rams have gone as far as recruiting a member from the track team, Juan Sabino II, to fill the void.
However, the team can’t seem to catch a break.
A few days ago, the school was back on national headlines, this time regarding head coach Larry Eustachy, who has been accused of intimidating and emotionally abusing his players and staff.
The accusations are apparently related to a 2013-’14 university investigation of Eustachy. The conversation resurfaced after The Coloradoan released documents that shined more light on the issue last week.
NEW MEXICO
The Lobos hold a 16-11 overall record, including a 9-6 mark in the MW. Although the program’s drama may not compare to that of the Rams, the Lobo roster has had some rocky moments throughout the season as well.
New Mexico’s roster has also suffered setbacks, but its biggest problem has been dealing with injuries.
At the beginning of January, the team lost depth and a major source of energy when junior forward Xavier Adams suffered an ACL tear.
In addition, a recurring injury has presented challenges in the form of concussions. The Lobos have endured a total of 30 days of concussion protocol as three different players have been affected: Connor MacDougall, Dane Kuiper and Tim Williams.
Williams’ concussion happened in December, and though he rebounded from that injury, another afflicted the talented post player. The senior forward has been shelved with a “stress reaction” on his left foot, and the timetable on his return is still uncertain.
Williams, along with redshirt junior guard Elijah Brown, have been the only two Lobos who consistently score in double figures.
In Williams’ absence, other Lobos have stepped up offensively including senior center Obij Aget, freshman guard/forward Damien Jefferson and junior guard/forward Sam Logwood.
The Lobos had gone 3-1 in the games following Williams’ most recent injury and found themselves just one game out of first place in the conference standings. But UNM suffered a setback after a 71-61 loss on the road to Fresno State over the weekend.
The Lobos NCAA tournament fate will rely on whether they can earn an automatic bid by winning the Mountain West Tournament next month.
Isabel Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She mainly covers men’s soccer and basketball. She can be reached at sports @dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cisabelg.
