Once a virtually guaranteed win for the UNM men's basketball team, San Diego State University rolls into town Saturday as a talented, dangerous team saddled with a deceivingly poor record.
The Lobos (13-6 overall and 3-2 in conference play) are settling into new defensive assignments and a revamped offensive scheme without catalyst former point guard Marlon Parmer. Meanwhile, the Aztecs (12-8, 1-4) are battling to overcome turnovers and missed free throws that have derailed the Mountain West Conference's most potent offense.
San Diego has the conference's top three leading scorers, but has failed to generate the key plays needed to move up the conference standings ladder. Aztec forward Randy Holcomb averages 18 points per game, while guards Tony Bland and Al Faux contribute 17 each.
"You basically have to pick your poison with this team," Lobo head coach Fran Fraschilla said. "If you play zone, they have guys who can stand outside and knock down shots, if you play them straight up, they can take it straight to you. It's going to be tough, but we're going to mix things up and see how our guys react best."
UNM forward Cody Payne, who didn't play against the University of Wyoming in the Saturday 79-67 loss, rebounded for his best performance of the year against Colorado State University scoring six points and grabbing five rebounds in the 70-64 win.
"Because they have so many guys who can score, there's not going to be any to help so it's all going to one-on-one defense," he said. "It's going to be a challenge."
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Payne said the team has learned from its recent road trip and is looking forward to more experience for UNM's young front court.
"We've been watching film on them, going over their plays and everything else," he said. "The bottom line is that we just have to play hard. It's not like we have secret weapons that they don't know about. We're just going to have to go out and run our style of play."
Starting point guard Senque Carey says the team knows people often overlook San Diego State, but emphasized that the Lobos won't fall into that trap.
"We're preparing with a sense of urgency because we know that they're the most talented team in the league," Carey said. "Right now, we're just trying to focus on what we have to do to slow them down a little. We have to protect our home court and try to upset some people on the road since we don't have a lot of games left. We're going to have to tie our shoes up tighter and play tougher defense."
Carey is filling Parmer's shoes and the team is adjusting to the slower, more methodical style he brings to the offense.
"It's kind of new to me right now, but at the same time I am glad we have the shooters that we have and the type of players we have so that I can get the ball to them," he said.
The players are already wary of Steve Fisher, San Diego State's coach best known for his post-season success at the University of Michigan. Fraschilla will be joining Fisher on the sidelines Saturday despite being hospitalized with kidney stones following Monday's game against Colorado State.
Fraschilla was at a gate in Colorado preparing to head to California for a recruiting trip when he decided that his abdominal pain was so severe that he could not board the flight and went to the airport medical station. After being examined, he was rolled out of the airport on a stretcher and sent by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
"I didn't know what it was; I was scared to death," Fraschilla said, adding that the pain has largely subsided allowing him to coach Saturday.
Game time is 7 p.m. and can be seen on KRQE-Channel 13 and heard on 770 KOB-AM.
