LAS VEGAS — War is how the UNM men’s basketball team is describing it, but for those tired of the oft-used comparison, it’s more appropriately a game of Risk.
On the line: an appearance in the Mountain West Conference tournament quarterfinals, and a likely date with No. 1 BYU. First though, the fifth-seeded UNM men’s basketball team opens with fourth-seeded Colorado State today at the Thomas & Mack Center. UNM is looking to avenge a February loss in Fort Collins, Colo.
Freshman guard Kendall Williams said it’s going to be an all-out dog fight.
“It’s war, and I’m not going to understate it,” he said.
The Lobos split the season series with the Rams and defeated CSU 68-62 on Jan. 12. It was UNM’s first MWC win of the season. Exactly a month later, the score was almost identical at CSU, this time in the Rams’ favor.
Before the Lobos duke it out with the Rams, they need to get healthy. As far as head coach Steve Alford is concerned, the final conference stretch took a toll on the Lobos.
Tony Snell, who suffered a sprained ankle, sat out Saturday’s regular-season finale against Air Force, and forward Drew Gordon broke his nose in the game.
Gordon said, however, the broken nose isn’t slowing him down.
“I’m dealing with that,” he said. “Fortunately it doesn’t have anything with my legs or my arms.”
It’s a good thing it’s just a nose problem, because Gordon said he’s not wearing anything but his uniform in the tournament. The 6-foot-9-inch forward form San Jose, Calif., said he doesn’t plan to wear a mask today.
“I’m really not looking forward to wearing a mask because I had to wear one in high school,” Gordon said. “It was so uncomfortable. I tore it up, and it ended up not working anyways.”
Snell, on the other hand, has no choice. He will need a taped ankle.
Snell made a name for himself with a breakout game against BYU at The Pit. In scoring 16 second-half points, Snell helped the Lobos erase a 13-point point deficit against the Cougars.
If Snell can contribute against the Rams, it would be another weapon in Alford’s arsenal.
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So it’s good news for the Lobos because Snell looks like a go against CSU.
Injuries notwithstanding, the Lobos have to worry about defending the MWC’s second-leading scorer. Senior forward Andy Ogide beat up the Lobos in the paint at Moby Arena in the Rams’ 68-62 win.
Ogide forced Gordon to foul out, and he scored a game-high 17 points and nabbed four boards. He was 7-of-11 from the field.
Alford said the Lobos have to shut down Ogide in the tourney.
“Colorado State is a much-improved team,” he said. “They’re a veteran-laden team that’s trying to get (to the NCAA tournament), where they haven’t been in a while. Those are very difficult matchups for us.”
Gordon said he can’t foul out in the MWC tournament.
“I didn’t really perform well,” he said. “My team and I didn’t have the best game, and I think that everyone is kind of rallying behind this game because we got beat, and that’s not a good feeling, especially because they handle us pretty well.”
As for going to war in Vegas, Gordon said anytime he steps on the court, it’s a test of will.
“It’s your army versus theirs,” Gordon said. “Whoever wins, they’re the victor that day, and you always go out and fight. It’s not a game of, ‘OK, your turn then my turn.’ You got fight for every rebound, blocked shot and every basket. (War is) a perfect way to describe it.”
