In a game that looked like an upset win against Utah State (26-6), the Lobos (14-18) were instead unable to finish off the game and saw their season come to an end. There is plenty to talk about this game, so here are the things that caught my eye from media row:

• Once again, Vance Jackson was dominant for the Lobos, finishing the night with 25 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. Jackson showed what he is capable in these two games and has us already dreaming of what could be. If Jackson is able to take these games and build off them, the Lobos could find themselves with a potential MW Player of the Year on their hands. It was great to see Jackson put things together in Las Vegas and Lobo fans will have a huge bright spot to look forward to next year.
• The Lobos were able to get USU to play the style of play they wanted and were able to force 15 first-half turnovers. The Lobos went away from the pressure for parts of the second and USU was able to get into their offense and made the Lobos pay with their good shot selection. Something to watch as we move forward into year 3 of the Coach Weir Era is how the Lobos decide to play (pressure, zone, man, etc.), I personally think that Weir and Co. should stick with the pressure defense and force the opponents to play way faster than they would like. One thing that could make this a problem comes when the officials call the game very tight and allow the opponents to attempt a bunch of free throws.
• For the second time in two days, Drue Drinnon did good things for the Lobos in the minutes he received. Drinnon finished with 8 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist in 17 minutes of action. He is starting to play with confidence and is showing the ability to run the offense as a true point guard. We will be keeping an eye on him as the Lobos look forward to the 2019-2020 season. He should be able to take a huge step forward next year and help lead the team to promising results.
• Carlton Bragg was unable to find footing in the game tonight, as he was the victim of some, let’s say, interesting calls. Bragg was only able to play 13 minutes before fouling out, which saw him scoring just four points, a rebound, and an assist. The Lobos needed Bragg to battle with Queta, but were unable to get that battle due to foul trouble. A bummer all around.
• Free Throws and fouls are something will be something Lobo fans will talk about for a while after this game. There was a 24-shot differential between the two teams, as USU shot 45 Free Throws compared to the Lobos 21. Those are numbers that should never happen between two games that are playing even basketball. There were times where the game had very little flow, as after a Lobo basket, USU would be shooting 2 Free Throws on the other end. Fouls are also something that stands out in this game, given that the Lobos committed 29 fouls compared to 19 committed by USU.
• We will have more on Seniors Anthony Mathis and Dane Kuiper in the next week or so, but we want to thank them for everything that they did for the Lobo programs, their teammates, coaches, and the Lobo community. They will always have a special part of Lobo fans’ hearts. Thank you for the blood, sweat, and tears that you left on the floor for the Lobos!
• While we can all agree that Coach Weir picking up the tech was not a good idea, but the reasoning for the tech was pretty bad for the official was Weir being in out of his coaching box even though it was a media timeout. Of course, if that didn’t happen, he almost certainly would have forced a technical with some of the things that happened later in the game.
• There will be a lot to watch as we move on to the next phase of the College Basketball calendar, and we will be here to cover everything that happens with the program. We can’t have three crazy summers in a row, right?