Pupils of the court keep an eye on finals

Back in mid-December, after a blowout win at home against Longwood, head coach Steve Alford said, “We now go the better part of the month with the only class being basketball.”
Now basketball school is over, and the UNM men’s basketball team passed. Barely.

With regular classes beginning soon, the Lobos should be happy to be back in the classroom after struggling in an intercession course.

Per usual, they won the gimme games (Longwood, the Citadel and Cal State Bakersfield). They outplayed a pesky Colorado team at a neutral site in Las Vegas and survived with a one-point victory at Texas Tech.

They fought scrappy in close losses to Northern Iowa and Dayton, two games that highlighted the team’s youth and inexperience.

But the Lobos’ most recent loss at Wyoming snapped UNM’s 14-game conference winning streak. Most importantly, it left the Lobos looking up from the Mountain West cellar, a familiar position for the football team, but a spot no Alford team at UNM has held.
So what lessons should the Lobos take from their break?

First off, Dairese Gary cannot win a game by himself.

The fact that no other Lobo reached double digits marred the senior’s 24-point performance against Wyoming. Granted, the Lobos lost after a miracle last-second shot, but Wyoming was allowed multiple attempts because no one in cherry could grab a rebound. The Lobos’ offense rests on Gary’s shoulders. So does its defense.

Although Gary is proving he can handle the pressure and the intense physical toll, the Lobos are better when Phillip McDonald’s shot drops, Kendall Williams runs in transition, A.J.
Hardeman and Alex Kirk control the paint, and the bench provides solid support. Basically, all the Lobos need is to show up for class and pay attention.

Second, Drew Gordon is a work in progress.
The UCLA transfer provided a solid contribution to the team (9 points and 7 boards) but he has not arrived as the dominating force fans expected. Well at least not yet. He said he was shaking before walking down the ramp against the Citadel, his first game in more than a year and a half. Fans need to be patient and not expect Gordon to lead the Lobos. Rather, he will quietly earn his grade from the back of the class.

Lastly, UNM is not the most physically gifted team in the Mountain West Conference.

San Diego State, BYU and UNLV are clearly the best in the league. The Lobos were making a solid case early in the season that they belonged in the discussion, but they were impressive against a schedule with a combined 58-73 record. During their current stretch, the Lobos were 4-3 against what is arguably the toughest part of their schedule. Against Northern Iowa, UNM’s transition defense was slow.

It gave up too many open 3s and better shooters victimized the defense. Fortunately for UNM, it comes back to The Pit’s friendly confines to take on Colorado State, a team that beat Wyoming but hasn’t won a game in Albuquerque since before Tony Snell was born. UNM’s first true test is Saturday when sixth-ranked San Diego State flies in for the first big game in the new Pit.
If the Lobos want to have any chance to win another conference championship and make a postseason run, they better guzzle some coffee and study hard.

The turnaround is quick. Class is back in session.