By Kyle Tomasi
After a surprising loss to Grand Canyon University on Dec. 23, the beaten and battered Lobos are looking to bounce back in their first conference game of the season against the Fresno State Bulldogs on New Years Eve.
New Mexico (8-4) dropped a heart breaker to GCU by a score of 68-65 where Hugh Greenwood seemed to be the only “go-to” guy for the night. He finished with 20 points, five rebounds and three assists.
“I wasn’t very happy with our urgency, wasn’t very happy with how we went about handling our business,” head coach Craig Neal said. “I think we’ve lost seven out of 11 opportunities on that date (Dec. 23) so I might not play that date anymore.”
Injuries have hounded a young, inexperienced Lobo squad thus far this season. Cullen Neal, Arthur Edwards and Sam Logwood have been out due to a high ankle sprain, finger and shoulder, respectively.
Head coach Craig Neal told the media on Monday that Cullen Neal’s return is still questionable but it will ultimately come down to what Cullen wants for himself.
“The biggest thing with him is that it’s a tough decision for him,” Neal said about Cullen. “He’s going to make it, I’m not making it for him.”
Craig Neal said if Cullen Neal decides he is healthy enough to play the rest of the season, he will let his son play the remaining 15 games.
Cullen Neal will have to decide whether he wants to redshirt before the Utah State game on Jan. 10. As per NCAA rules, he must make a decision before the second half of the season, which is against the Aggies.
His decision is expected to be made before the team leaves next Monday for its contest at San Diego State University on Jan. 6.
Edwards has been working his way back in to practices after a finger injury on Nov. 23. Logwood has been a full participant in practices since Christmas. He is recovering from a sprained shoulder that occurred in a win on Dec. 13 against the University of Louisiana-Monroe.
Craig Neal said Edwards is “iffy” for today’s game but Logwood should be able to play against Fresno State.
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Neal and the Lobos will be gearing up for their first conference game of the season and Neal said he isn’t going to approach their “second season” any differently than the first.
“I’m approaching it in the sense of we’ve taught them what they need to do. They have all the ingredients to be a championship team,” he said. “I think we’ve got to rely on our defense.”
The Bulldogs (5-8) have gotten off to a rough start this season and, much like the Lobos, have face early season setbacks. They have been without their junior point guard Cezar Guerrero after the NCAA ruled him out for the entire fall semester.
Guerrero led the Bulldogs last season with 3.5 assists per game while averaging 13.1 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game in their 39 games.
Kyle Tomasi is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @KyTo22.
Men’s basketball vs. Fresno State
Wednesday
5 p.m.
ESPN 3
