MWC Showdown
Albuquerque, NM – The last thing New Mexico wanted was to open its Mountain West Conference schedule with a letdown offensively.
A matchup at The Pit, however, gives the Lobos good reason to expect a bounceback effort.
Hoping to draw even in league play, the 15th-ranked Lobos look to extend a 19-game home winning streak when they meet UNLV on Saturday.
New Mexico (14-2, 0-1) had two wins over ranked opponents heading into its first MWC game but shot 35.1 percent in a 74-64 loss at San Diego State on Tuesday night.
"We’ll get just as good, if not a better team (in UNLV)," coach Steve Alford told the Lobos’ official Web site.
Oddsmakers from online sportsbook SPORTSBETTING.com have made New Mexico –5.5 point spread favorites for Saturday’s game against UNLV. Current College Basketball Public Betting Information shows that 59% of more than 189 bets for this game have been placed on New Mexico –5.5.
Back at The Pit, Alford and New Mexico hope to get back on track. The Lobos’ streak there includes nine victories against MWC opponents.
New Mexico is 10-0 at home this season, outscoring teams by an average of 18.0 points. That includes a 90-75 victory over then-No. 20 Texas Tech on Dec. 29.
The Lobos, though, committed a season-high 19 turnovers in their last home game, a 68-66 victory over Dayton on Jan. 1, and had 14 against the Aztecs.
"You have to be able to run an offense and do it with some toughness, get good shots, and be able to knock down good shots," Alford said. "We’re not doing that right now."
New Mexico shot 28.5 percent (8 for 28) in the second half against San Diego State. A poor performance from leading scorer Darington Hobson didn’t help.
Hobson, averaging 16.8 points, was held to 12 on 4-of-17 shooting. The junior forward is shooting 36.0 percent (32 for 89) over his last six games.
Junior guard Dairese Gary is enjoying the best scoring stretch of his career, averaging 13.8 points and shooting 51.6 percent during his last eight contests.
Gary was held to a total of nine points in two meetings with UNLV (12-3, 0-1) last season, with each team winning at home.
UNLV leads the all-time series 24-14 but has lost four of its last five at New Mexico.
This will be the Rebels’ second straight road game against a ranked opponent. They lost their conference opener 77-73 to No. 25 BYU on Wednesday night, falling short after a late rally.
"We’ve got to find a way to win those," guard Tre’Von Willis said. "That’s the difference between winning the conference and not winning the conference."
Willis had 24 points but committed a career-high seven turnovers. He averages 15.2 points to lead a strong group of perimeter players.
The Rebels’ top four scorers are all guards. They’re thin inside, however, and that could become a problem in MWC play.
Matt Shaw is averaging 2.8 rebounds in seven games since replacing Brice Massamba as UNLV’s top starting big man. Hobson, meanwhile, is averaging 9.8 boards in his last five contests.
Posted: 1/8/10 10:20PM ET
