Guess who has the No. 1 defense in the NCAA?
No, it's not reigning champion UConn.
It's not Pat Summitt's nation-leading Tennessee Volunteers, either.
The University of New Mexico Lobos quietly moved into the top spot this week, after beating San Diego State 47-43 on Saturday.
"I didn't think we were a very good defensive team this year," head coach Don Flanagan said with a chuckle. "But we give a good effort."
On a more serious note he added how proud he was of the team.
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"When you have 320-something teams, and you're number one in something - anything - well, we've never done that before," he said.
UNM is regularly in the top 10 in the defensive categories, but critics have said that is because the Mountain West Conference is a poor offense league. However, evidence indicates otherwise.
The University of Utah is ranked No. 2 nationally in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 39.8 percent from the perimeter. The Utes follow only Southwest Missouri State, which is good for 42.4 percent of its 3-pointers on average.
Utah is No. 25 in field-goal percentage while the University of Nevada-Las Vegas is close behind at No. 27.
UNM held Utah to 14 points in the first half of last month's match-up at The Pit. The Utes and the Lobos split wins this season, with both teams winning the home game.
"Our schedule is stronger than anyone else's in the conference," Flanagan said. "There's nobody in the Mountain West who plays a tougher schedule than we do. So I'll leave it at that."
On average, UNM allows opponents to score 51.2 points per game. Villanova comes in at No. 2 with 52.3 and UConn is third, allowing 52.8 points per game. Utah is No. 6 in scoring defense.
The Lobos' stingy defense allows opponents to make only 33.3 percent of their shots, while Jackson State and Liberty sit in second and third places, respectively. MWC foe BYU is No. 24, limiting opponents to only 36.7 percent of their shots.
"We try to limit teams to one shot, block out and take away the second shot," Flanagan said. "We try to limit teams to certain areas, and we always try and help one another."
Even though the Lobos lost by one point in December at Arizona, UNM held the Wildcats to 23 points below their average.
With 25 years of experience and a high school coaching record of 401-13, Flanagan has a license to say the "defense wins games" adage is true.
"We're 10-2 in the conference, and we're not a good offense team yet," he said. "I won high school championships with it. Last year, I won the conference tournament with it. Last year against BYU, we beat a WNBA player with it. It wins games."
Junior forward Lindsey Arndt, who Flanagan said is UNM's best defender, said the Lobos' defense has been successful because the players look out for each other and are aware of where the ball is at all times.
"It's not all one-on-one man," she said. "When you get beat, you have to help each other, and I think that's the biggest thing."
The women's basketball team ends the regular season with two home games this week. They will play host to Wyoming tomorrow at 7 p.m. and to Colorado State on Saturday at 2 p.m.
