Problems didn’t start in Hawaii for Lobo basketball

of ball security on one end of the floor, an ability to switch and contest a 3-point shooter on the other.

Perhaps there was no shame in the result or effort vs. Auburn on Tuesday. But UNM still can’t stand BYU, so you know the 96-66 on Wednesday stings with humiliation.

Yet even with a day between to contemplate the 30-point defeat, the Lobos showed a remarkable lack of urgency during the 82-59 loss to Washington State on Friday. You’d think these guys would have sold out to come back with something more from the islands than sand in their shorts.

Every Lobo owns part of this. That includes even Williams — who seemingly got a pass from Neal on Friday. Ironic, since his teammates aren’t giving him enough passes, the coach said, on offense. But Williams didn’t touch it enough on defense either. He had only one rebound in 34 minutes against a Washington State squad that UNM and its big lineup should have ruled on the boards.

So the “agendas” and “issues” could involve several players. But Neal benched only one. It was a bizarre Friday morning for Cullen Neal: Five turnovers, 0-for-3 shooting that included two air balls, one foul, and ultimately 32 game-minutes of spectating.

Not every turnover is the fault of the player who gets tagged for it. On his first, for example, Cullen drove hard right and threw back left to where Obij Aget could have been, instead of where Aget stood. Craig Neal immediately yelled, “O! Move!”

But that’s kind of the point, no pun intended. In each possession that went through him — and for whatever reason — Cullen looked like the guy who had just joined the team.

Cullen, of course, already was the most polarizing Lobo player in recent memory. It is remarkable how he can do nothing right in the eyes of some, when Hugh Greenwood could do no wrong. And it’s the worst-case scenario for fans already worried about the coach/player/father/son dynamic.

The guess here is that it’s weighing on Cullen, who recently has deleted his Twitter account. His dad talks often about how much Cullen wants so much to do well. The opinion here, which is one that joins a large chorus, is that relieving him of some of the load is necessary.

An easy way to do that is take him off the ball on offense, in part using Jordan Hunter and Tim Jacbos more. The coach/father with the NBA pedigree — he’ll broach that subject from time to time — may choose to debate on how many turnovers are acceptable or too many, and what assistto-turnover ratio he can live with. But as “meh” as the Mountain West Conference schedule is, there still are no CSU-Pueblos left to play. Twenty turnovers in a game will get you beat. When UNM commits 18 or more, it’s 0-4.

And maybe the names on the back of the jerseys should come off, as in the Alford era.

Look, here’s the thing about basketball tournaments: If all is well, three games in four days can be to your liking. UNM certainly has been on the up side of that format a time or two in March, in Las Vegas.

The down side: In a three games/four days format like Hawaii’s, there’s not enough time to address a big problem that might surface. It’s like the starting shortstop who is in a hitting slump and may need 10 days of video and extra BP to work it out. Until then, he’s in the lineup every day, and the short-term numbers may get ugly.

The big difference is that major league teams play 162 games, and college basketball teams do not. Make no mistake — the Hawaii repercussions will be felt. BYU, Washington State and Auburn went a combined 1-5 last week in their non-Lobo assignments. UNM is 147th in the RPI. Already the chance to compile an NCAA Tournament-worthy at-large résumé is next to nil. When was the last time you’d say that about the Lobos even before conference play began?

The good thing, making the leaping presumption that the “agendas” and “issues” can be fixed, is that midMarch and Vegas are coming around again. The season thusly is not lost.

But the Lobo Nation is impatient and bleeding grave doubt. To its subjects, Wednesday’s game here vs. Nevada now looms as the season’s biggest.

No pressure.