Following a really nice win against a very good Northern Iowa team, the Lobos turn back around to face the NMSU Aggies in the return game of the Rio Grande Rivalry series. The Lobos won the game down south last month 83-74, so the Aggies will be coming up here hoping to avoid a sweep. The Lobos, on the other hand, have already grabbed their brooms.
Category: Lobo Basketball
Men’s Basketball vs. Northern Iowa Recap
On Saturday night, the Lobos hosted a very good Northern Iowa Panthers team in what felt like the sort of game that could decide which team ends up on which side of the bubble come tournament time. Well, if that ends up being the case, the Lobos made a statement as to which side they think they should be on by winning 76-57.
Women’s Basketball vs. Pepperdine Recap
The Lobos’ game Saturday against Pepperdine was all about defense, as they used their defense and energy to improve to 6-3 on the season by winning 60-52. The Lobos controlled the first half, holding Pepperdine to 15 first half points and limiting Pepperdine to just 16.67% (4-24) shooting. The Lobos shot over 40% in each half to control the game from the opening tip. If there’s one thing that the Lobos didn’t do well in the game, it was shooting 17-34 from the free throw line. Pepperdine also struggled from the line shooting 19-36, so both teams have to feel like they left something on the table there.
Women’s Basketball vs. Pepperdine Preview
The Lobos (5-3) return to action at WisePies Arena AKA The PIT to face Pepperdine University Waves (4-6). Because they had the week off for Finals Week, the Lobos haven’t played since their two-game Texas road trip. The Lobos are coming off a great road win against a solid SMU team while the Waves, after starting the year 2-6, are on a two-game winning streak. Look for the Lobos to make Pepperdine work hard on both sides of the court to take advantage of the elevation. It is important for the Lobos that Khadijah Shumpert stays out of foul trouble, especially after seeing her pick up her 4th foul in the first minute of the third quarter in the last game. While the Lobos can find production from other post players, it is always a benefit to have your best player on the court for a large majority of the game.
Men’s Basketball vs. Northern Iowa Preview
It’s been a whole week since the Lobos last hit the court, in their hard-fought loss at Purdue, so I think that the team, the coaches, and certainly the fans are ready to see them back in action. They’ll face another tough challenge on Saturday when Northern Iowa visits the Pit.
Women’s Basketball: The Story So Far
As they finish the fall semester and get ready for their three games during their holiday schedule, the Lady Lobos find themselves sitting at 5-3. This will be their last stretch to get ready for conference play, which starts December 30th. While it is most likely the Mountain West Conference is once again a one-bid league, the Lobos have positioned themselves as one of the favorites to win the regular season championship, or at least end up with a high seed for the conference tournament. That said, I think that it is imperative for the Lobos to win their last three non-conference game, as I think that it would make it possible for them to become an at-large team if they ended up with two or less loses in conference play and end up with a loss in the conference championship game. I don’t think the Lobos want to put their NCAA Tournament chances in the hand of the selection committee, so the goal is clearly to win the MWC Tournament to get the automatic bid. But, before all that, let’s look back at the first eight games of the schedule and some scattered thoughts that I have had during the first month of the season.
Men’s Basketball at Purdue Recap
The Lobos went up to West Lafayette yesterday to play a toue team and played them even for 30 minutes before Purdue was finally able to pull away. It never feels good to lose, but their strong performugh Purdance against such a good team was a good sign for how this Lobo team is going to perform for the rest of the season.
Women’s Basketball at SMU Preview
The Lobos continue their Texas two-step road trip with their game Saturday afternoon at SMU in Dallas, Texas. The Lobos are coming off a tough road loss at UTEP, where the Miners shot 12-24 from three-point range in the game. That put the Lobos on a two game losing streak, which they hope to break against the 3-3 Mustangs. I bet Coach Sanchez and the coaching staff talked and preached to their team to limit the quality looks that they gave from three, as that has become a bit of an issue this season. A bright spot for the Lobos is that the Mustangs have struggled from three in the early part of this season, shooting below 30% at 29.5%. Still, the Lobos will have to defend well in this game to have a good shot of winning and they have to make sure not to foul, as the Mustangs are a great free throw shooting team at 84%.
Men’s Basketball at Purdue Preview
After a good win against a solid Oral Roberts team on Tuesday, the Lobos head out to West Lafayette, IN to take on the Purdue Boilermakers. Purdue sometimes gets lost in the shuffle, having to compete both on the court and for attention against the rest of the Big Ten elite, but make no mistake, this is one of the best teams in the country. A Lobo win tomorrow would likely catapult the team into the top 25 and put them on a good track towards an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.
Men’s Basketball vs. Oral Roberts Recap
As has been a recurring theme for UNM this season, this game was a tale of two halves. However, rather than the Lobos getting out to a slow start against Oral Roberts, the Lobos jumped out to an early lead with one of the best halves they’ve played in recent memory before allowing the Golden Eagles to claw their way back into the game in the second half. The Lobos were able to hold them off though, eventually ending the game with a 91-75 advantage.