The UNM men's basketball team will be seeking to end its three-game losing skid when it matches up with Colorado State University Saturday in The Pit.
And by all accounts, the chances of that happening seem good.
First off, the Rams (10-14, 1-9 Mountain West Conference) are this year's conference cellar dwellers, with their lone conference win coming against the Air Force Academy Jan. 28.
Second, the Lobos (14-10, 4-6) have virtually owned Colorado State in recent years. UNM has taken 13 straight games from the Rams, including last month's 70-64 victory in Fort Collins, Colo.
Still, coach Fran Fraschilla said extending the string of wins will be tough.
"(The Rams) know that we've got a streak going against them so they're going to be playing with great emotion," Fraschilla said. "It will probably be one of the more physical games we've ever played here in three years. They're the hardest playing team in the league in terms of hard fouls and they just knock the daylights out of people."
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It will help the Lobos, then, if their emerging inside players can stand up to the physical Rams.
Sophomore Patrick Dennehy, in games against Brigham Young University and the University of Utah last week, provided an able inside presence, while Cody Payne filled in admirably for injured freshman Jamaal Williams.
And, Fraschilla said having strong inside play helps lessen the load carried by the Lobos' corps of shooting guards.
"We always felt once we got healthy that we'd have a quality inside game and all of these guys are back next year," Fraschilla said. "Pat Dennehy right now is playing as well as any big guy in the league and Jamaal Williams is probably one of the two or three best freshman in the league."
Fraschilla said Williams practiced Thursday and, providing he felt up to it, he would play Saturday against Colorado State.
So with a regular season conference crown all but out of reach for the Lobos, it is certain that they'll have to win the conference tournament, March 7-10, to have any hopes of reaching the NCAA field of 65.
That thought is not lost on Fraschilla, who said he is hoping for a strong finish in UNM's last four games, two of which are on the road at San Diego State University and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. Both the Rebels and Aztecs are perched above the Lobos in the conference standings, the former in a third-place tie with BYU and the latter all alone in fifth place.
"What we're trying to do right now is keep (our guys) sharp," Fraschilla said. "(We'll) try to win as many of these last four as we can to build some momentum going into the tournament."
KRQE-TV will be providing coverage for Saturday's 7 p.m. contest, while 770-KKOB AM will have the radio call.
