Lobos visit Utah State tonight
UNM looks to rebound against struggling Aggies
There isn’t any precipitation in the forecast for Logan, Utah, today.
That doesn’t mean snow won’t be on the minds of those who make their way to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
For the UNM Lobos (14-9, 7-3 MWC), they are out to prove they are a team that has matured past tendencies to let gut-punch losses snowball into longer losing streaks. That has happened at least twice in the past 13 months (an eight-game skid last season and a four-game streak in December).
They want to prove they didn’t lose the Utah State game on Saturday in San Diego when an admitted blown call late in the game likely cost UNM its best chance, though not its only one, to beat the first place San Diego State Aztecs.
For the host Utah State Aggies (11-11, 3-8 MWC), the snowball has already formed and is picking up speed. Now, as losers of five straight and eight of 10, first-year head coach Tim Duryea is just trying to prevent an all-out avalanche after benching several key players down the stretch of Saturday’s 19-point loss at Wyoming in which the Cowboys hit a record 20 3-pointers.
“We’re going to keep looking for solutions,” Duryea was quoted Monday in
the Salt Lake Tribune, vowing to make yet-tobe-announced changes to his starting lineup. “We have some limitations with size and depth, but we can do a better job than we’ve done.”
Ideally, it would seem, Duryea would like to start by slowing down UNM’s junior power forward Tim Williams, whose 21 points, 8 rebounds and two blocked shots led the charge for the Lobos in a dominating 77-59 win in the Pit on Jan. 9.
After that game, Duryea acknowledged the scouting report on Williams was that they needed to double him on the left block, but the 6-foot-8 transfer from Samford began displaying a much more versatile game than in the non-conference.
In his past three games — a win at Boise State, a home win vs. UNLV and Saturday’s loss at San Diego State — Williams has averaged 23.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, attempted 9.0 free throws per game and shot 62.5 percent from the field with much more variety than just layups at the rim.
And Saturday against a very physical front line at SDSU, Williams not only didn’t back down, he thrived.
“It was real physical down there and the refs were letting us play a little, too,” said Williams.
Utah State can’t match the frontcourt physicality of SDSU, but will likely try to stymie the Lobo big man with numbers — bringing more guards into the paint to clog the lane and double team him. That may only lead to more space on the perimeter for guys like Elijah Brown (20.7
points per game) and Cullen Neal (13.7 ppg).
Regardless of what defensive scheme is thrown at them, Williams is confident the hangover from Saturday’s loss won’t linger.
“We can’t do anything about that now,” Williams said. “Now it’s time to lace up our shoes and get back at it.”
TOUGH STRETCH: Based on both KenPom. com and RPI ratings, UNM just completed its toughest three game stretch of the season with a win at Boise State, a win vs. UNLV and Saturday’s overtime loss to San Diego State.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Air Force sophomore guard C.J. Siples on Monday was named the Mountain West Player of the Week after averaging 19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals in a pair of wins for the Falcons last week over Wyoming and Boise State.
It’s the first career award for Siples and first award for any Air Force player this season.
POLL POSITION: After SDSU’s win over UNM, whatever one may think of how it happened, some national writers started jumping on the Aztecs’ bandwagon.
SDSU didn’t receive any votes in Monday’s USA Today’s Coaches Top 25 poll, but appeared on five of 65 ballots for the Associated Press Top 25, resulting in 22 points, which is four spots out of the rankings.
The highest ranking for SDSU was by Fletcher Mackell of WDSU-TV in New Orleans. The other four votes came not from voters who cover league teams or are based out west, but from those located in Maryland, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington, D.C.