Lobos hope for better fortunes against San Jose State

UNM tries to snap four-game losing streak, keep MWC tournament hopes alive

There are must-win games, then there’s Friday’s visit to the Bay Area for the collapsing supernova that is the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team.

The reeling Lobos — losers of four straight, including a humbling 14-point loss at home to Wyoming, the last-place team in the Mountain West Conference — visit San Jose State on Friday night.

At stake is what will almost assuredly be a bye in the opening round of the conference tournament.

Of course, that’s not necessarily the primary concern for UNM. Broken and riddled with a sudden lack of confidence, the Lobos are in serious need of a positive outcome.

After the loss to Wyoming in which forward Morris Udeze grabbed 17 rebounds and scored 12 points on just five attempted shots, he looked and sounded like a senior leader whose college swan song was turning into a burning mess.

“We’re a little off our groove,” he said. “Some players have their confidence.”

The skid stretches back to the end of January when the Lobos dropped a heartbreaking double-overtime loss at Nevada. They followed with a tougher-than-expected eight-point win at home over Air Force, then lost the last four to fall out of the Mountain West race.

Guard Jaelen House and his 17.3-point scoring average have been missing the last two games thanks to a hamstring strain. He’s unlikely to start, let alone play, against the Spartans.

His absence has been a crushing blow to the offense, but it’s largely the lack of defensive intensity that has been the killer for UNM. House’s impact is felt there as he is one of the nation’s leaders in steals per game.

“He’s just an excellent on-ball defender, and it’s not something you can really replace,” said UNM coach Richard Pitino.

The Lobos’ depth drops down to about six players without House, as reserve post players Sebastian Forsling and Birima Seck have seen their time on the court drop dramatically. Toss in the ongoing slump of guard K.J. Jenkins and opponents’ recent trend of double-teaming Udeze and guard Jamal Mashburn Jr., and the once sure-handed Lobos are now as vulnerable as they have been the last few years.