A chance to rebuild confidence

It could be worse for the UNM men’s basketball team.

The Lobos, who have lost their last four Mountain West Conference games, head to Fort Worth, Texas, to face last-place TCU. The game should be a reprise from UNM’s recent downward spiral: TCU has won only one game in league play this season
(1-13 MWC).

Head coach Steve Alford said his young guys are feeling the season’s strain.

“They’ve had a tough go at it,” he said. “We just have to carry momentum forward and be able to make some plays late.”

As of late, the only one making plays has been Dairese Gary. He had a career-high 26 points in a 77-74 overtime loss to UNLV.
Gary said the Lobos will need to play 40 minutes of strong basketball against TCU, or else they won’t win again.

“It’s just a matter of putting an entire game together,” he said.
The Horned Frogs are led by guard Hank Thorns. Last Saturday in a loss to BYU, Thorns dished out 12 assists. He is one of only five players in the country with multiple 10-assist games. He leads the MWC in assists and is ranked sixth nationally.

UNM’s post players are the only others who have been remotely productive. Against UNLV, forward Drew Gordon had 15 points and 14 rebounds. He averages a double-double during MWC play.

But Gary and Gordon can’t carry the Lobos by themselves.

In order for the Lobos come out strong against TCU, they will need production from starting underclassmen Kendall Williams and Tony Snell. They saw considerable time on the court against UNLV, but Williams passed up open shots to get the ball into other players’ hands. Snell had no points and hasn’t found the outside shooting touch that made him a threat in earlier conference games.
Out of the four freshmen who saw action against UNLV, Williams was the only player who produced, scoring six points.

Alford said he hopes his six underclassmen have not hit a late-season wall.

“It’s the pressure of the situation,” he said. “They’re part of a program that has had a lot of success over the past three years, and all of a sudden you start losing a couple and you feel it. That’s part of it, but as coaches we have to help them make plays and get confidence.”

And regaining that confidence could start with TCU.