In two weeks, UNM will play the two top teams in the Mountain West: Boise State and San Diego State. Before then, however, the Lobos must take on three of the four teams at the bottom of the standings in Wyoming, San Jose State and Air Force.
That stretch against the Mountain West’s cellar begins Saturday with the Cowboys, the defending conference tournament champion who currently sit eighth at 2-3 in MW play. Game time is 2 p.m. at WisePies Arena.
The Lobos have had their moments where they took opponents lighter, like the Rice loss in nonconference play. But Lobo coach Craig Neal said his players now understand they what happens if they lack intensity, effort and energy.
“My whole team's deal is consistency,” Neal said Thursday afternoon. “If they can be consistent, then they'll win a lot of games. If they're not consistent, then we'll struggle in some games.”
In Wyoming, the Lobos will face a much different pace than they saw in Tuesday’s loss at UNLV. Over the years, Larry Shyatt’s club slowed the tempo down and put points at a premium. That trend is carrying over again this year as the Cowboys rank ninth in Kenpom.com’s adjusted tempo, 67.3 possession per game.
They also lost some punch from last year’s MW tournament title run, primarily in tournament MVP and current Los Angeles Laker Larry Nance Jr. Riley Grabau and Derek Cooke Jr. also graduated.
That puts the ball in guard Josh Adams’s hands. Largely a defensive force for Wyoming a year ago, he’s now a focal point offensively with a conference high 23.94 points. Lobo guard Elijah Brown comes closest to Adams’ average among MW scorers at 19.59 per game.
Neal said Adams is likely the best guard in the conference. Yet in the last two games Adams put up season lows, 12 against UNLV and 10 against last-place San Jose State.
Should UNM contain Adams, guard Jason McManamen and forward Alan Herndon could fill the void, Neal said. McManamen ranks second on Wyoming’s scoring sheet with 12.3 points a game.
“The way they play they're very capable,” Neal said, “and you've just got to be ready to play your game and hopefully you can get into your tempo, which is hard.”
The goal will be for UNM to control its up-tempo pace, Neal said, a challenge against Wyoming. The two teams also find themselves in overtime games often, with four extra sessions coming in the last four meetings.
The first four minutes, especially, will be key, Neal said.
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“If we play the first four minutes like we have the last few home games, we'll be in good shape,” he said. “That's part of being consistent. Our guys are learning.”
Mike Brown at UNLV?
With Dave Rice gone at the UNLV helm, names have emerged for possible replacements, Mike Brown among them.
The former Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers coach, who’s son is a sophomore guard under Neal at New Mexico, has been listed in some media reports in Las Vegas and elsewhere as a potential replacement to Rice.
A reporter questioned Neal whether Mike Brown’s name coming up for the UNLV job was awkward, to which Neal asked KOB-TV’s J.P. Murrieta what he meant by “awkward.” Murrieta then clarified the possibility of a Mike Brown-led UNLV squad with Elijah Brown playing for the Lobos.
With Elijah on the team, Mike Brown has been a regular fixture during Lobo basketball practices and games.
“Unless they come up with a lot of money to pay him, I don't see him coaching,” Neal said. “All I know is Elijah plays for me. I've got great respect for Mike. … Yeah, it's flattering. I think it's great for him but it has nothing to do with my program. I don't know how awkward it is.”
Todd Simon now serves as the interim head coach and should be a contender for the UNLV job. Other names that have surfaced for the job include former UCLA and St. John’s coach Steve Lavin, Boise State coach Leon Rice, former New Mexico State coach Reggie Theus and current NMSU coach Marvin Menzies.
J.R. Oppenheim is the assistant sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers men’s basketball and women’s soccer. Contact him at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @JROppenheim.
