Men’s basketball coach Steve Alford has given his team “the biggest challenge of their lives.”

The challenge was issued days after UNM was run out of the gym in Las Vegas by No. 15 UNLV in an 80-63 loss last Saturday. It was the second straight defeat for the Lobos, both coming at the hands of top-25 teams.

“There is a board in our locker room that says, ‘If you work hard, you work smart, then you have fun,’” Alford said. “I think that last week we got that all jumbled up.”

Alford criticized his team’s toughness after the loss to the Rebels and said if his team takes his challenge seriously, it will be ready to make a run in the postseason.

“(Alford) has been preaching about how the next 13 days are going to be the hardest time of our lives,” junior guard Jamal Fenton said. “But it’s going to be the best time of our lives, too, because the coaching staff is really going to push us to become better and win the championship.”

The two-week challenge includes intense practices amid four conference match-ups.

On Wednesday the Lobos throttled Colorado State 85-52 at home.
“Coach (Alford) really got on us in practice and throughout the next couple of weeks; it’s going to be a grind to get us tougher,” senior forward Drew Gordon said. “But it’s obviously paying off.”

The Lobos will host TCU on Saturday afternoon for the second game of the coach’s challenge and then go on the road to face Air Force and Boise State — games the Lobos are favored to win, but aren’t shoo-ins.

“It’s hard winning on the road in this league and it’s hard getting home wins,” Alford said. “When you’re the fifth-ranked league in the country, it’s going to be a fight every night out.”

UNM (16-4, 2-2 MWC) currently sits in third place in the conference, tied with Wyoming, Colorado State and TCU. San Diego State and the Rebels are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.

TCU (12-7, 2-2 MWC), started its conference schedule with two road losses to Colorado State and UNLV, but bounced back to win its next two at home against Boise State and Air Force.

“We have a team coming in here that has a little bit of confidence, so we have to play well on Saturday,” Alford said.
The Horned Frogs are trying to leave the Mountain West with a bang, this being their last season in the conference.

TCU has never finished above .500 in the seven years it has been a member of the MWC. The Horned Frogs have already doubled the conference wins from last season, as they finished 1-15 in the 2010-11 season. TCU is 0-6 against the Lobos.

The same can’t be said for UNM.

The Lobos are 114-43 under Alford’s tenure and have finished over .500 10 of the last 12 years.

Alford said the success of his team this season will be based on how it responds in the 13-day challenge.

“We want to have a special year,” Alford said. “And to do that, we have to get tougher.”

Men’s Basketball vs TCU
Saturday 4P.M.
The Pit