The men’s basketball team has one bone left to pick, and it will be on national television.
The Lobos upset No. 13 San Diego State 77-67 on Wednesday to take sole possession of first place in the MWC.
UNM (21-4, 7-2 MWC) will try to avenge on Saturday its only other conference loss, against No. 11 UNLV, and distance itself from the pack in the MWC.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” sophomore guard Kendall Williams said. “(San Diego State) was a very big road win, but now we have to come and protect home against a team that really kind of worked us out at their place.”
A month ago, the Runnin’ Rebels made the most of Lobo missed shots and turnovers, winning 80-63 in Las Vegas.
UNLV (22-5, 6-3 MWC) dominated fast break points 26-0 and shot 51.7 percent from the field that game — the highest shooting percentage allowed by UNM all season.
“UNLV embarrassed us,” freshman guard Hugh Greenwood said. “We got blown out at their place, so we’re looking forward to The Pit rockin’ this weekend.”
Since their last loss at the hands of UNLV, the Lobos have reeled off six straight wins — all by double-digit margins.
Men’s basketball head coach Steve Alford said depth is what’s separating his team from the competition.
“Our bench has been key all year and it’s going to continue to be a big key,” Alford said.
Against the Rebels, the Lobo bench was outscored 28-9.
Since then, UNM’s bench has dominated, outscoring opponents 171-74 in the last six games.
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Senior forward Drew Gordon said Saturday’s sold-out, nationally televised game is a step closer to a league title — something he’s never accomplished in his college career.
“I know (the seniors) are going to be hungry for a win,” Gordon said. “And I know our young guys really want a conference championship.”
The Lobos are facing a slumping UNLV team.
The Rebels have lost two of their last three games, falling to Wyoming and TCU on the road.
UNM now looks to vindicate its first-place spot in the conference standings against second-place UNLV.
“Everybody’s been talking about UNLV and San Diego State,” Gordon said. “We’ve been right there with them the whole time and kind of been overlooked.”
The resurgent Lobos have quietly catapulted to first place, and are on pace to match the success of the 2009-10 Lobo team, which finished 30-5.
That Lobo team was nationally ranked for a large part of the season. The Aztecs and Rebels have overshadowed the Lobos this season.
“We’ve just been slowly going about our business and then here we are on top of the Mountain West Conference,” Greenwood said.
Back-to-back wins against ranked opponents would most likely earn UNM basketball a spot in the top 25.
“We’re excited about the rematch,” Alford said. “(UNLV’s) an outstanding basketball team. (It is) another ranked team coming into our building.”
