Dec. 4 or not, Lobos face crucial MWC showdown
UNM visits preseason favorite Boise State as reworked league schedule gets underway
The idea of a key Mountain West women’s basketball showdown on Dec. 4 is hard to get one’s head around.
Nonetheless, Wednesday night’s New Mexico-Boise State matchup at ExtraMile Arena is exactly that.
The Lobos (6-1) and Broncos (4-4) tip off MWC competition early with a game that figures to carry considerable weight come March. Boise State was picked as a heavy favorite to win a third straight league crown, according to the conference’s preseason poll. UNM was picked to finish second.
The early showdown comes because this season’s Mountain West tournament will be played a week earlier than normal. As a result, most conference teams will play two league games this week before returning to nonconference action. The Lobos return home to host Wyoming on Saturday.
Visiting Boise, Idaho, this week is hardly ideal for the Lobos, who returned from Cancun, Mexico, over the weekend and had just one home practice to prepare for the Broncos. UNM coach Mike Bradbury is not dwelling on it.
“No excuses,” Bradbury said. “This game is scheduled. We’ll get ready and try to win.”
It’s a far cry from last season, when the Lobos and Broncos met just once — an early March showdown in Boise with first place on the line. There was considerable anticipation for that meeting, won by Boise State, 70-66.
“Yeah, it’s weird playing Boise State and Wyoming so early,” Lobo senior Aisia Robertson said, “but it’s an opportunity for us, too. Getting a couple big wins now could be huge.”
Robertson, who returned from injury rehab last week, is delighted to be available against Boise State. The All-Mountain West point guard is close friends with Boise State point guard Jayde Christopher. They were teammates at Kansas for two seasons before transferring to Mountain West schools.
“It was a ball playing with her,” Robertson said, “but it’s a rivalry now. We usually talk about other things more than basketball but I told her, ‘I’m coming for you.’ It’ll be fun.”
Bradbury expects a high-scoring battle Wednesday as both teams prefer up-tempo basketball and look for early scoring opportunities.
“We have to be sound defensively because Boise can really score,” he said. “They’ll probably get 80 points but we have to make them earn those points. You give a team like that too many easy ones and it’s game over.”
The Broncos and Lobos have notable similarities. BSU’s Riley Lupfer and UNM’s Ahlise Hurst rank among the national leaders in 3-point percentage and makes. Broncos guard Braydey Hodgins and UNM counterpart Jayla Everett are among the league’s best at attacking the basket.
But UNM will have to account for Boise State’s 6-foot-5 Mallory McGwire, a legitimate post-up threat with 3-point range. The daughter of former NFL quarterback Dan McGwire and neice of former MLB slugger Mark McGwire transferred from Oregon prior to last season.
“Adding a legit post just makes them that much better,” Bradbury said of the Broncos. “They were picked at the top of the league for a reason. They’re good.”
Sophomore Shai McGruder agreed but said the Lobos are looking forward to Wednesday’s early Mountain West showdown.
“I feel like it’s going to come down to the little things,” McGruder said. “We have to stop the ball on defense, make them work, and stick to our plan on offense. If we do, we’ll have a shot.”