Scratch another starter from the Lobos' lineup.
Point guard Kris Collins, who has started 18 of the team's 19 games this season, broke his foot in practice Wednesday and will be out six to eight weeks. The 6-foot-2-inch junior's season is essentially over.
Heading into their Saturday home matchup with UNLV, the Lobos' luck has been only slightly better than the jogger who gets struck by lightning.
This weekend they hope to halt a three-game losing streak. Their last loss was Monday night, when they suffered an embarrassing 68-53 pasting to Brigham Young, which hadn't won a Mountain West Conference game until it played the Lobos.
Now UNM looks to get things right with at least one key player gone and, at best, two coming back from injuries.
"Every day we hope no one else gets injured, but we can't control what happens," said guard Mark Walters.
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The Lobos lost their most versatile player in Danny Granger, who had arthroscopic knee surgery for torn cartilage on Jan. 10.
Center David Chiotti sat out the second half of the BYU loss after reinjuring a hip that has nagged him throughout his career.
Chiotti is expected to play in the UNLV game. Granger's participation will be a game-time decision after practicing lightly over the latter half of this week.
That leaves two 100-percent starters from the lineup that began this season a promising 14-2 - Walters and guard Troy Devries.
"We don't feel any pressure from that," DeVries said. "It'll take a team effort to win the game. We just need to play a lot better as a team."
His fellow survivor said the team's losses do add some weight to their shoulders.
"There's a little pressure," Walters said. "I might feel like I have to do more for the team, being completely healthy."
DeVries said the team's focus this week hasn't been on replacing lost scoring or changing up gameplans.
"We're smaller, so we've been putting a big emphasis on defense and toughness," he said.
One adjustment that will be necessary is naming a new point guard. The squad still doesn't know who will be starting when they take the court on Saturday.
"If coach asks me to play point, I'm ready," Walters said.
Walters is one option for head coach Ritchie McKay. Freshman Darren Prentice has started one game this season but hasn't averaged many minutes at this point.
Ryan Wall has been getting more playing time lately and will also be called on to run the team's offense.
UNM will have to improve, or it risks falling into a 1-4 hole in the conference. The team's missing some important pieces, but over its last three games, the problem has been more than just holes in the lineup. The Lobos turned the ball over 23 times against Air Force, were out-rebounded by 13 against Utah and shot just 32 percent in the loss to BYU.
"We're just pulling together," DeVries said. "We need to play smarter and harder if we're going to start winning again."
UNM Lobos
vs.
UNLV
Runnin' Rebels
The Pit
Saturday at 7 p.m.
TV: KRQE Ch. 13
