With the start of a new NBA season, there are a few things that come to mind. Is the Eastern Conference finally seeing a power shift heading its way? And also, please God, don't put the Spurs in another Finals.
Former UNM men's basketball player Danny Granger was named the NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Granger helped the Indiana Pacers to a 3-0 start by averaging 22.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals.
The UNM football team will have to pick itself up after its most crushing defeat of the season Saturday. Entering that 37-0 thrashing at the hands of TCU, the Lobos were off to a 6-2 start and were one of the hottest teams in the Mountain West Conference.
It's basketball season already, and I don't know if I'm prepared to take on the grueling season ahead of us. Luckily, there are a few major subplots that will help the NBA steal some headlines from the NFL in the next few months. Here are a few of the questions I have as the NBA season gets underway.
The NBA started last week without too much fanfare. Ho-hum. As I was sifting through my seemingly endless sea of e-mails from major sporting affiliations, something caught my eye.
The UNM volleyball team lost two matches this weekend, dropping the Lobos to sixth place in Mountain West Conference standings. An error-plagued UNM lost to BYU 28-30, 26-30 and 22-30 on Friday. It then fell to Utah 28-30, 30-25, 24-30, and 24-30 on Saturday at Johnson Gym.
The UNM women's basketball team concluded its exhibition schedule Sunday with a 98-66 win over Eastern New Mexico at The Pit. Head coach Don Flanagan said the Lobos were outworked by the Zias despite the 33-point margin of victory.
UNM head basketball coach Steve Alford may have looked at it as just another practice, but there was little he could complain about after his team's 94-50 thrashing of Eastern New Mexico on Friday at The Pit. The Lobos played well in all phases of the game, and Alford said he was happy with each player's performance.
It was a tale of two teams for the UNM women's basketball team Thursday. The Lobos fell to the Chinese National Team 67-61 at The Pit. The loss ends an 18-game winning streak by UNM in exhibition games. "We were two different teams out there," head coach Don Flanagan said.
If the UNM football team wants to come out of Saturday's TCU game with a win, slowing down the Horned Frogs from the get-go will be key. The last two times the teams met, TCU jumped out to leads of 28-0 and 24-0 and won both games despite rallies by the Lobos.
by Brandon Call Daily Lobo The UNM volleyball team almost completed a come-from-behind win Friday. Unfortunately, the Lobos came short, falling to TCU 23-30, 24-30, 30-24, 30-22, 12-15 in Fort Worth, Texas. UNM is now 15-8 and 6-5 in the Mountain West Conference.
In the story of the Mountain West Conference cross country meet, Jeremy Johnson got the ending he had always wanted. Johnson won the MWC Championship in the last home meet of his career.
The UNM cross country team capitalized on the familiar terrain at North Golf Course on Saturday. The men's team had five runners in the top 20 - its best finish since it won the Western Athletic Conference title in 1988.
Because of the wildfires raging in California, the Mountain West Conference Cross Country Championships will be in Albuquerque this weekend. UNM head coach Joe Franklin said the tragedy in San Diego is unfortunate, but the team is happy to host the championships.
With UNM trailing 21-13 and less than three minutes remaining in the first half, the Lobos needed a spark to head into the locker room with momentum. The special teams provided the boost, when Nicky Lawson forced a fumble on a kickoff, which was recovered by Tyson Ditmore at the Air Force 12-yard line.
In a game with five lead changes, the UNM football team held the advantage when it mattered most Thursday at University Stadium. Rodney Ferguson ran for two touchdowns on 146 total yards, and John Sullivan kicked four field goals in the Lobos' 34-31 win against Air Force.
With five games left on the schedule, Thursday's contest against Air Force may be the most important one of the season for the UNM football team. If the Lobos knock off the Falcons, they will be in sole possession of second place in the Mountain West Conference and keep their hopes alive of winning the conference championship.
From the perspective of some Colorado Rockies fans, it may look like their team has the upper hand heading into the World Series. For one thing, they are on that ridiculous tear of winning 21 of their last 22 games, including a 7-0 postseason mark.
And then there were two. The Boston Red Sox and the Colorado Rockies will square off in an exciting matchup tonight in Game 1 of the World Series. And while true Red Sox and Rockies fans have a lot to celebrate, I'm sick of the poser fans who root for a team when it's winning.
The UNM women's soccer team had a disappointing weekend, dropping a home game Friday and ending in a draw on the road Sunday. The Lobos went into overtime with UNLV on Friday at the UNM Soccer Complex, falling 2-1 in the extra period. UNM's Alexis Ball scored the only Lobo goal, putting UNM on the scoreboard in the 64th minute.
Solutions by The State News
