Lobos hurt by transition points, boards
Neal also looks at points off turnovers
The number on the box score that Craig Neal thinks players and media too often pay too much attention to falls under the “TP” column.
He is not suggesting the final score doesn’t matter, although that would certainly have helped ease the frustrations during the current three-game losing streak for the UNM Lobos (9-8, 2-3 Mountain West).
Instead, he says too much attention is given to only the points a player scores. That, he said Thursday, leads media members to pick all-conference teams based only on points and leads players, on all teams, not just his, to sometimes get away from doing things that won’t show up in the stat sheet.
In response to a question about why Lobo senior star forward Tim Williams isn’t always getting the ball in late-game situations, a topic examined in Thursday’s Journal, Neal said stats are a part of the problem.
“When you’re consumed by what stats you have and you’re consumed by what people write about you and you’re consumed by things that don’t really matter as far as winning basketball games,” Neal said, “convincing people to pound it into Tim Williams isn’t as easy as you think it is.”
So what off the radar stats does Neal think might be the most important to the Lobos’ successes and failures this season, especially as they head north on Saturday to play at Colorado State (11-6, 3-1 MWC)?
“We have to continue to work on three things,” Neal said. “We can’t give up so many points off of turnovers; we can’t (allow) offensive rebounds and let them score, which hurts us; and then (allowing) transition points.”
While transition points aren’t as easy to define, second-chance points and points off turnovers
are both right there on that same post-game box score each night. And, in MWC play so far for the Lobos, it hasn’t always been pretty.
Through five league games, UNM is allowing opponents to score 16.4 points off an average of 12.2 turnovers per game and 11.0 second-chance points.
If you take the Nevada game out of the scenario, one thoroughly dominated for 38 minutes by UNM before the wheels came off in that improbable 25-point second half comeback, the Lobos are allowing their other four MWC opponents to average 18.3 points off UNM turnovers each league game and 12.5 second chance points. In essence, Lobo mistakes — either in the form of turnovers or allowing offensive rebounds — is costing UNM 30 points per game.
And Saturday’s opponent, Colorado State, has one of the best offensive rebounders in the league in Emmanuel Omogbo (3.5 per game is second best in league play). The Rams are scoring 13.8 second-chance points with Omogbo leading the charge.
“He’s a one-man offensive rebounding machine,” Neal said. “That’s been tough for us. Offensive rebounds have hindered us . ... I’m worried about scoring and we haven’t been rebounding very well. We’ve got to defensive rebound.”
The Rams also add 12.3 points off turnovers in MWC games (they had 26 points off 18 turnovers in a blowout win last weekend over Air Force).
In league play, CSU leads the MWC with 11.0 steals per game and UNM is last in having opponents post 11.1 steals per game.
GRADE CHECK: The Rams announced last week that three juniors — Che Bob, Devocio Butler and Kimani Jackson — all failed to meet academic eligibility requirements (at least a 1.9 grade point average after the fall semester).
That makes the trio ineligible for the second semester and leaves the Rams with just seven scholarship players.
But, since the second semester doesn’t start until Jan. 17, the Rams — both head coach Larry Eustachy and Athletic Director Joe Parker — have decided to let the three continue playing until that date, meaning Saturday’s game against the Lobos will be their last of the season.
Asked Thursday if he wanted to comment on CSU’s decision to play three players they’ve already announced didn’t make the required grades last semester, Neal passed before commenting on his team’s academic track record that includes not one game being missed due to grades so far in his four seasons and, as best as he can remember, in the 10 years he’s worked at UNM (four as head coach, six as an assistant).
“I don’t think it’s right for me to comment,” Neal said. “We just take that very seriously here. I wish that we got wins for our academic GPAs. I wish we got wins for that, but we don’t. That’s up to Larry. That’s their program. I can only comment on mine.”
Neal said his team posted a 3.0 fall semester GPA and has broken “every academic record” the program has in his four seasons.