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Men’s basketball head coach Steve Alford has repeatedly discussed the level of talent in the Mountain West Conference. This came up again Wednesday afternoon, hours before his No. 19 New Mexico Lobos took the court in Fresno, Calif.
This time, Alford addressed it on a national platform.
“Every time out, when you play at home or on the road, it’s a difficult out,” the sixth-year coach told ESPN Radio host Scott Van Pelt.
Difficult out, indeed.
Last-place Fresno State gave MWC leader UNM another tight game Wednesday night. The Lobos needed to rally from an 11-point halftime deficit to stay atop the MWC standings, and captured a 54-48 road victory over the Bulldogs.
UNM outscored Fresno State 21-9 over nine minutes to force a close game in the second half, then held the Bulldogs to one field goal throughout the remainder. Fresno State missed 10 shots during that stretch.
It’s the latest example of how fierce any Mountain West venue is for a visiting team. With three wins and two losses, UNM is the only MWC team with a winning record in conference road games. No. 24 Colorado State is .500 in MWC road games with two wins and two losses.
San Diego State, unranked in the AP Top 25 but pegged No. 22 by the coaches, is the only other MWC team with two road conference victories, but the team has three road losses in league play. The remaining six MWC teams each have one or fewer. Those teams are a combined 5-25 at opposing venues.
“It’s bagging road wins,” Alford told the Associated Press. “We’re sitting at the top of the league not just in wins but in most road wins. We’re plus-three now, 3-2 on the road with three road games to go, and that’s huge.”
On the flip side, UNM, Colorado State, Air Force and UNLV are undefeated at home with at least four wins. San Diego State is 4-1 and Boise State is 3-1 in home conference games. The nine teams have a combined .727 winning percentage in their own arenas.
UNM (21-4, 8-2 MWC) has an equal split of home and road games over its remaining six contests, capping the regular season with bouts at Nevada and Air Force. The Mountain West tournament follows on March 12-17.
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The Lobos return to The Pit on Saturday when they host Boise State. The two teams on battled Jan. 16 in an overtime thriller, which UNM won 79-74. Lobo junior guard Tony Snell scored 22 points in that game, and Hugh Greenwood had 15 points, including three 3-pointers, while battling flu-like symptoms.
Boise State (16-7, 4-5 MWC) won three of seven games since then, picking up wins against Fresno State, UNLV and Wyoming. The Broncos defeated the Cowboys 68-61 last Saturday behind guard Anthony Drmic’s 21 points. Boise State guard Derrick Marks added 17 points against the Pokes.
The rematch pits the league’s second-best scoring team against the second-best defensive unit. In MWC play, Boise State has averaged 68.2 points per game while UNM has surrendered 58.6 points defensively.
While the Broncos put points on the board, they also gave up 71.8 points a game in their seven MWC games. UNM, meanwhile, has scored an average of 64.4 points against its conference foes.
Marks and Drmic are Boise State’s scoring leaders, ranking among the top seven scorers in the MWC. They’ve averaged 16.6 and 16.1 points per game, respectively, through 23 games.
UNM seniors Chad Adams and Jamal Fenton have 101 career victories with the Lobos. They could tie A.J. Hardeman and Phillip McDonald’s record of 102 victories if UNM beats Boise State.
