Of the UNM men's basketball team's five losses, none was due to a lack of effort like last week's fall to BYU, head coach Steve Alford said. And it won't get any easier for the Lobos this week, as they go on the road to take on Mountain West Conference co-leader UNLV.
There is no doubt the New England Patriots put together the greatest season in NFL history, and arguably any other sport, over the past six months. A new receiving core and a full season from a rejuvenated Junior Seau raised Tom Brady and Bill Belichick's team to a higher level than any team before it.
Mike Graczyk was in Denver awaiting a flight to Charlotte when he checked his voice mail. That's when the former goalkeeper for the UNM men's soccer team found out he had been drafted by the Colorado Rapids. "It was actually pretty crazy," Graczyk said. "I was on my way to visit with a team in North Carolina.
In their quest for 19-0, the Patriots have become the most polarizing sports team in ages - maybe in history. But does that say more about New England or more about sports fans in this day and age? Even though I am not a New England Patriots fan, I want to see an undefeated season happen in my lifetime.
Former UNM goalkeeper Mike Graczyk will get the chance to shut down professional offenses. Graczyk - one of the most successful Lobos in program history - was drafted in Thursday's MLS Supplemental Draft by the Colorado Rapids. He was the 19th overall pick, taken by Colorado in the second round.
The No. 67 UNM women's tennis team was steam-rolled by No. 7 Northwestern. The Wildcats blanked the Lobos 7-0 Saturday at the UNM Tennis Complex. "They were a great team," head coach Kathy Kolankiewicz said. "In doubles, I knew right from then that they had such big serves and such hard, powerful groundstrokes, this was probably the best team we've ever faced.
The UNM women's basketball team fell 41-38 to BYU on Saturday at The Pit in perhaps its worst offensive performance of the season. The Lobos shot 16.7 percent from the field in the second half and were outrebounded 49-30. UNM head coach Don Flanagan said poor shooting will happen, but he was disappointed with the team's effort in getting rebounds.
The No. 54 UNM men's tennis team experienced déjÖ vu Friday. The Lobos lost a 4-3 heartbreaker to No. 22 Boise State at home. The loss comes less than a week after falling 4-3 to the Broncos in the finals of the Mountain Regional Playoffs on Jan. 19 in Boise, Idaho.
It was just a couple years ago that the UNM women's basketball team was unstoppable at home, especially against conference opponents. In fact, the 2005-06 senior class dominated the Mountain West Conference, not losing a single conference game in their four years as Lobo basketball players.
The No. 67 UNM women's tennis team is gearing up for a battle against No. 7 Northwestern this weekend. The matchup is the first time the Lobos will host a top-10 team. Head coach Kathy Kolankiewicz said the team is excited for the contest. "I think the team realizes that this is a great opportunity for us," she said.
Chad Toppert knows his team has faith in his shooting ability - being the most accurate 3-point shooter in UNM history will have that effect. Toppert said he enjoys his role on the UNM basketball team. "I definitely think my teammates have confidence in me, and they know I'm capable of making shots at any time," he said.
After the UNM men's basketball team lost its two previous games, a sluggish start against Air Force on Saturday probably didn't comfort fans at The Pit. But, thanks to effective 3-point shooting and solid defense, the Lobos eventually opened a big lead, and this time held on, downing Air Force 59-44.
Women's basketball The UNM women's basketball team improved to 2-2 in the Mountain West Conference with a 75-45 shellacking of Air Force on Saturday in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Lobos - who relied on their 61.9 percent sharpshooting from 3-point range - set a season-high with 13 3's in the game.
The UNM women's tennis team opened its season in style this weekend. No. 67 UNM rallied to beat No. 38 Colorado 4-3 in a nail-biter at the UNM Tennis Complex on Saturday. The win marked the first time the Lobos have beaten a top-40 school in more than a year.
The UNM men's basketball team used a stingy defense to ground Air Force 59-44 on Saturday at The Pit, ending a two-game losing streak. The Falcons managed just 17 first-half points and dropped to 10-7 overall and 2-2 in the Mountain West Conference. Meanwhile, the Lobos improved to 15-4 overall and 2-2 in the conference after holding the Falcons to 27.
UNM's 23-0 win over Nevada on Dec. 22 in the New Mexico Bowl gave Lobo football fans a collective sigh of relief. The win marked the end of a 46-year drought in bowl victories and was the first bowl win for head coach Rocky Long in five tries. The last time the Lobos won in the postseason was a 28-12 win over Western Michigan in the 1961 Aviation Bowl in Dayton, Ohio.
After a four-month investigation, the UNM football team will suffer self-imposed sanctions after NCAA allegations of academic misconduct. The University responded to those allegations Jan. 7 in a 47-page report, concluding that the football program was guilty of three of the four violations.
After splitting the first two games of its conference schedule, the youthful UNM women's basketball team has one thing on its mind: improvement. "We're a young team - I've said that all along," head coach Don Flanagan said. "Heading into conference, I feel that we have a few more things that we need to work on if we want to be the kind of team that I know we can be.
It was a game of second chances. Unfortunately for the UNM men's basketball team, it couldn't take advantage of the ones it was given. In the Lobos' conference home opener, they let a second-half lead slip and fell to San Diego State 72-67. Head coach Steve Alford attributed the loss to UNM's trouble with rebounding and giving up second-chance points.
Senior forward Dionne Marsh is a force to be reckoned with for the UNM women's basketball team.
Solutions by The State News
