TCU couldn’t — and didn’t — invoke whistle-blower status at The Pit on Saturday.
It would be easy — and dull-witted — to attribute the UNM women’s basketball team’s 60-53 marquee victory over No. 20 TCU to favorable officiating.
It wouldn’t even be a point of contention had referee Connie Pardue not allowed the crowd to influence her whistle.
She did.
Pardue’s intentional foul call on TCU’s Brandy “Starr” Crawford was subjective — as is almost all officiating.
The call sent TCU coach Jeff Mittie into a frenzied rage. Mittie stomped his foot. The nest of Pit fans swarmed, and Pardue stung Mittie with a technical foul.
Do credit the Lobos, though.
They overcame several setbacks and trumped the Horned Frogs, tightening the Mountain West Conference standings.
In lieu of baskets, the Lobos hit free throws, propelling them to a 21-19 halftime lead. UNM was 7-of-7 from the line in the first half compared to TCU’s 1-of-6. Eileen Weissmann put up a career-high 17 points.
The Lobos played hounding defense, forcing the Horned Frogs into 17 turnovers and holding them 20 points under their season average in points.
Still, the inconsistency in Pardue’s whistle on Saturday just reflects and enduring pattern of parity in the larger Mountain West Conference this year.
Unlike the 2008-09 season, this year’s MWC regular-season title push isn’t a three-pony race. Last year there was a clear division of power.
The MWC was top-heavy, with San Diego State and Utah finishing at 13-3 in the MWC, followed by TCU (12-4), which finished a half game back in the standings.
In the middle rested UNM (9-7), BYU (8-8) and Wyoming (8-8), while bootlickers UNLV, Colorado State and Air Force drowned below MWC sea level, finishing seventh, eight and ninth, respectively.
Halfway through this year’s conference season, there exists no such concentration of power.
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Discounting UNLV and Air Force, the seven other teams in the MWC are just 1½ games back of TCU.
Two wins for the Lobos have propelled them to within a half game of TCU, which still lead the conference despite Saturday’s setback.
BYU, also 5-2, and San Diego State (5-2) are nipping at the Horned Frogs’ heels.
But head coach Don Flanagan said handicapping this race is nearly impossible.
“We have some really good teams in this conference from top to bottom,” he said. “Parity is here and that’s why you see the top team right now has two losses. Last year, the top team was undefeated throughout the whole season. We’re just halfway through right now and the two best teams, or the two top teams, have two losses. It’s a much better conference this year, much more competitive conference this year.”
Can you peg one team or another to fall out of contention? Not at this point.
However, in officiating terms, UNM is the Pardue of the MWC — consistently inconsistent. One minute they’re losing to Colorado State, an improved but youthful conference foe. Next minute they’re beating the front-runners in the league — BYU and TCU — and making fans think this year’s race will come down to a photo finish.
If it’s going to happen, the Lobos will need their jockey — Flanagan — to guide them to the rail. UNM can run from the outside, but as Saturday proved, when the Lobos can start on the perimeter and work toward the inside, they’re that much deadlier.
Finishing down the stretch will be equally important. UNM went 4-4 in its final eight conference games last season.
And at this point, Flanagan said, he’s not even sure how to gauge the quality of Saturday’s win.
“I think (TCU) is the best team in the conference,” he said. “But I don’t know that for sure right now because everybody seems to be able to beat everybody else.”
Suffice it to say, the Lobos will play until the whistle blows. Here’s to hoping they come out looking better than Pardue.
