For the men’s basketball team it’s not a road to March Madness so much as it’s a direct flight to the tournament.
It’s been two years since the Lobos took that same magical ride to the NCAA championships after the 2009 Lobo team’s school record of 30 wins.
The Lobos finished 30-5, including an incredible 14-game MWC win streak. They were ranked No. 8 in the nation and received a No. 3 seed to the NCAA Tournament.
The team was the talk of the town and a sweet-16 appearance seemed inevitable.
Unfortunately for Lobo fans, the postseason ride lasted about as long as Kim Kardashian’s marriage. The Lobos went home after their loss to the No. 11 seed Washington in the second round.
The 2010-2011 team stalled out on the side of the road. The Lobos won just 22 games, hardly record-breaking, and missed out on a bid into the tournament.
Senior guard Phillip McDonald, who was a sophomore for the season the Lobos went 30-5, said the current squad is just as talented, but more experienced — and he’s got a point.
Since last season, Alford has recruited sophomore guards Kendall Williams and Tony Snell and sophomore forward Cameron Bairstow.
Sophomore guard Demetrius Walker and senior forward Drew Gordon both transferred to UNM, Walker from Arizona State and Gordon from UCLA. For Gordon’s size, the 6-foot-9-inch athlete demonstrates on the court a remarkable level of agility that no player on the 2009 team could match.
Between the upperclassmen from the 2009 team and the recruits and transfers new to the Lobos this year, the squad appears rife with potential.
Furthermore, the MWC lost two of UNM’s biggest rivals.
With the absence of Utah and Brigham Young University and four of the five starters from last year’s powerhouse San Diego State no longer on the team, UNM was almost unanimously named the preseason favorite to win the conference.
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In non-conference play the Lobos don’t play a single team in all the preseason top 25 polls.
And the Lobos look healthy.
For the first game of the season, with the exception of sophomore post Alex Kirk, the entire roster is in good physical form.
But McDonald is notoriously injury-prone, and Gordon has already banged up his knee twice in preseason.
I predict the Lobos finish the 2011 season with at least 28 wins under their belts, but with this year’s unique level of talent I wouldn’t rule out another historical year for UNM men’s basketball.
The Lobos have a straight, no transfers and no stops ride to March Madness, but the real questions are, how long will the ride be, and where does it get off?
Five home games to watch
Nov. 11 – vs. New Orleans:
It’s the opening game of the regular season, and UNO head coach Mark Slessinger was an assistant coach at Northwestern State when the No. 14 Demons upset Alford’s No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2006.
Nov. 16 – vs. New Mexico State: It’s the state rivalry game. That’s the only reason you need.
Jan. 18 – vs. San Diego State:
The Aztecs were last year’s MWC champion. If you’re going to be the champ, you have to beat the champ.
Feb. 18 – vs. UNLV:
UNM’s biggest threat in the MWC this season. The game will be nationally televised on CBS, so you have no excuse not to watch.
March 3 – vs. Boise State:
It’s the last game of the regular season and probably senior night, and it’s also the first conference meeting between schools.
