The next two games for the Lobos present a great opportunity to discuss the unbalanced schedule that happens in the Mountain West. The Lobos’ next two games are against the only two teams that they play once this season in SJSU (at home) and Air Force (on the road). Because of the current structure of the Mountain West, with 11 teams and an 18-game conference schedule, every year each team plays two teams only a single time, with both a home and away matchup against the other eight teams. Since the start of the 2013-2014 season, when that structure was put in place, the conference has seen a few teams get unfair unbalanced schedules (both good and bad). This has led to some unfair advantages, and in some cases, huge disadvantages. First off, we will look at each year and see what the numbers tell us and break down who caught the breaks in the schedule and who didn’t for all 11 teams. Then, we will look at the possible solutions for this problem, and determine if there is a way that to bring as much schedule balance as possible.
Category: Lobo Basketball
Men’s Basketball Game 24 Preview: SJSU
The Lobos gutted out a win at UNLV on Wednesday, overcoming the absence of two starters thanks to some solid team play. They’ll have to do it again on Saturday, as both Tim and Dane are still out for this game against SJSU. Although they are towards the bottom of the conference, the Spartans aren’t pushovers, so the Lobos will still need to get good performances by the entire roster if they’re going to keep pace with the conference leaders.
Men’s Basketball Game 23 Preview: UNLV
After a four-game win streak, the Lobos managed to suffer three losses on Saturday at Nevada: the game itself, Dane Kuiper, and Tim Williams. Now, the banged-up Lobos will need to pull themselves together for their trip to Las Vegas, where they will be looking for revenge against UNLV.
Women’s Basketball vs. Nevada Game Preview
The Lobos (10-9, 6-3) return home for a three-game home stand, starting Saturday night against a struggling Nevada (8-11, 2-6) squad. The Lobos won the first meeting in Reno 69-63, even without the services of Alex Lapeyrolerie. However, the other three guards did well filling in for her, combining for 53 points (Cherise Beynon 25, Mykiel Burleson 18 and Jayda Bovero 10). If the Lobos can take care of the ball better in this game (17 turnovers in the first meeting), they should be able to win this game going away.
Men’s Basketball Game 22 Preview: Nevada
The Lobos are on a roll right now, having won 4 straight games and moving just a half game back of first place in the conference. They now head on the road to take on the only team ahead of them: the Nevada Wolf Pack. You probably remember what happened last time these two teams faced each other, as it is now required to be mentioned at least eight times each Lobo game, so you know the Lobos haven’t forgotten either. I’m sure they’ll be ready for this one.
Men’s Basketball Game 21 Preview: Utah State
The Lobos are now on a three-game winning streak and are riding as high as they’ve been all season. They’ll take this high into their rematch with Utah State, who the Lobos lost to out in Logan in a game that began the three-game losing streak that the Lobos just pulled themselves out of. It clearly won’t be an easy game, but if the Lobos keep playing well, they’ll have a good shot at getting their revenge.
Women’s Basketball at Wyoming Game Preview
The Lobos (9-8, 5-2) return to Mountain West road play today, as they head to Laramie to take on the first-place Wyoming Cowgirls (14-3, 6-0). This will be one of the toughest games the Lobos will have this year, playing on the road against a very good Cowgirls team that plays great defense and has the best offense in the conference. The Lobos need to bring their A+ game to have a decent shot to win the game. The Lobos must shoot the ball well and limit their mistakes on both offense and defense to come away with the huge road win.
Men’s Basketball Game 20 Preview: Wyoming
After probably the lowest point of the season, where a three-game losing streak was followed by a win that was overshadowed by some negative national attention, the Lobos finally had a feel-good win. Their 81-70 victory up in Boise felt significant for a lot of reason, and they can justify those feelings tonight, when they take on a feisty Wyoming squad in the Pit.
Men’s Basketball Game 19 Preview: Boise St.
It might have got a little lost in the media shuffle, but the Lobos played a basketball game against CSU this past Saturday. And they played really well! Their impressive win snapped a three-game losing streak and put them right back in the hunt for a conference title. Tuesday night, they’ll take on the first-place Boise State Broncos, where a win would put them in a great position going forward.
Weekly Roundup (1/16/2017)
After a lengthy break, we’re bringing back the Weekly Round-up to stay up to date with all Lobo sports! In the weekly round-ups we will have a recap of the results, key performances, and awards for the various sports, while also taking a look at what is coming up in the next week.