Lobos hope to keep their focus at CSU

Getting off track happens to every team, especially young ones.

Head coach Steve Alford said he is hoping the UNM men's basketball team will stay focused in its trip to Fort Collins, Colo., on Saturday, where the Lobos will take on Colorado State.

But UNM won't face the same Rams who suffered a 68-50 thrashing in The Pit on Jan. 28, Alford said.

"They are shooting more 3s, making more 3s, playing in transition more and playing very loose," he said. "It's a much more dangerous offense than what we saw the first time around."

However, in that game, CSU shot the highest field-goal percentage by a conference opponent this season in The Pit.

It's a shocking statistic, considering the Rams are 4-10 in the Mountain West Conference and will be the eighth seed in the conference tournament.

"We have been really successful (in Fort Collins)," Chad Toppert said. "I don't know what it is, but we just tend to go out there and play really well. They are a lot better at home, and we can't take them lightly."

Winning the MWC regular-season title is a long shot for UNM, but if the Lobos don't overlook the Rams, they will set themselves up for a Lobo senior-night battle with first-place Utah (11-2 MWC) on March 3.

"Colorado State - I have been watching tape on them all week," Alford said. "They had Utah beat. Utah is leading our league by two games. They had Utah beat. I mean, absolutely beat at their place."

Utah escaped Fort Collins with an 89-79 overtime win on Feb. 18.

UNM is tied for second place in the Mountain West Conference and, maybe with a little help, could share or outright win the regular season title. The Lobos need to win out and hope Utah loses at least one more game.

The Lobos enjoyed a 76-62 win over TCU at The Pit on Tuesday, and they were able to get a glimpse of their next three opponents (Colorado State, Utah and Wyoming) on Wednesday, Alford said.

"I have paid as much attention (to the MWC race) as I normally do," Alford said. "A month and a half ago, I was looking and seeing if UNLV was winning or if Utah was winning. We just follow the whole league, and it's been a fun year to do that because there has been balance."

The Rams are coming off a loss to Wyoming. In a tight match, CSU stumbled at the end and lost by three at home, 82-79.

"We're definitely in the crunch time of the season," Toppert said. "Every game counts. We don't need any let ups that are going to hurt our opportunities in the future. We just got to take each of our last games one at a time and not take any one of them lightly."

Men's basketball at Colorado State

Fort Collins, Colo.

Saturday, 7 p.m.