CSU (11-7, 2-2) @ UNM (17-3, 3-2)
CSU road record (1-6, 2-0 neutral, 1-1 in MWC); UNM home record (11-1, 1-1 in MWC)
Last games: CSU- lost 80-72 vs. UNLV (1/20); UNM- won 73-50 at Air Force (1/20).
What you may not know: The Lobos have dominated this series so much in recent years- sixteen years, as a matter of fact- it just doesn’t seem fair. The Lobos have won the last 5 games against the Rams, and lead the series 64-41 all-time. However, it was once just 39-38 in favor of the Lobos after the Rams had rattled off their third straight win in the series back in January of 1993. The Lobos won the next 14 in a row and it hasn’t been close since.


Spin the slots

Here is the sixth of hopefully 19 looks at the conference portion of the 2009-2010 Lobos' schedule. I am sad to say I had to give up the Gambling patch, due to the fact that the side effects were too numerous to mention. I’ve had to perform a series of minor surgeries with unsterilized and blunt instruments, but I’ve come to live with the pain now, and it really isn’t all that bad.

Still, it could be worse. I haven’t yet set foot inside of any casino, partially because when I walk I seem to be going in semi-circles. It’s just as well, as due to a series of misfortunate events, I seem to have accumulated a large debt to a couple of land sharks- to the point where a couple of people who couldn’t both fit through my doorway came to pay a visit. In fact, they seem to be stuck there, as they’re not a very cooperative duo, which is alright by me. They’ve even begun to engage each other in some sort of argument about the semantics of the words pulverize and smash, which I take to mean is what they intend to do to either the door, to me, or perhaps both.

Since I don’t seem to be going anywhere, I figure it won’t hurt to give that old, special slot machine a spin, and see what it has to say about tomorrow afternoon’s game:



I asked the two lummoxes in the doorway what they felt these mean, and they can’t seem to agree with me anymore than they can each other. In fact, they’re now debating the differences in the words smush and crush, so I guess I’m on my own this time. Here are my best guesses:

1. It looks like the guy who gets sand kicked in his face, and I can’t help thinking this is me once these guys get dislodged from my doorway.

Actually, it’s interesting to hear all this talk about how CSU is much improved, and yet they can’t seem to win anywhere outside a 60 mile radius of Moby Arena (only win on the road is in Laramie, WY). They even lost 25 miles away in Greeley to Northern Colorado. No, it doesn’t appear that the ’09-’10 Rams resemble road warriors in any sense of the word. More like 98 lb. weaklings.

In Provo, these guys hung around with the Cougars for about as long as the first verse of Francis Scott Key’s Star Spangled Banner. In fact, I’m thinking if the student section wants to bring in a little kiddie pool filled with sand and have Snake kick some at them as they come to warm up, these guys will sprint up the ramp of The Pit so fast they’ll be in Santa Fe 50 minutes before the next Railrunner is scheduled to arrive.

2. The second symbol means that upon closer inspection, there are a lot of words which are synonyms to pulverize and smash and smush and crush that I may have plenty of time to bulk up and defend myself. Probably not, though.

Really, this game should be about as close as the series has been lately. Does anyone remember what the first Steve Alford-coached Lobo team did to the Rams in The Pit? What it really comes down to is focus, and if the Lobos are focused, playing good defense, crashing the board, sharing the ball, and squaring up to shoot, the Lobos will cruise. However, lack of focus, let this team hang around... they’re not so far removed from the confident bunch that started off the MWC wars 2-0, including a road win in Laramie.

Did I mention that was their only road win of the season? They don’t seem to focus very well on the road.

3. The last image confirms seems to say that I have a chest full of treasure somewhere that I should just shove in front of these two galoots- if for no other reason than to get them to quit arguing about the difference between whack and wallop.

What this image represents in regards to Lobos is possessions. There seems to be an abundance of evidence pointing to the fact that if things go according to plan, the Lobos should be recipients of enough of an advantage in extra possessions that CSU won’t stand a chance. Witness that the Lobos average forced turnovers per game is almost identical to what the Rams average to give away each game- 15.1 to 15.4- while the Lobos are only charitable 11.3 times per game. They average 2.5 more rebounds a game more than CSU (38.8-36.3) and about 2 more offensive boards per game (13-11). All of this adds up to extra shots, not to mention that the Lobos average almost 9 more points a game (78.6-68.9) than does Colorado State... looks like a pretty good bet that the Lobos are sitting on 18 wins and a 6 game win streak over the Rams going into the BYU game.


Bloo's Take:

I can’t tell you how good it was to see... err, hear the Lobos come busting out of their shooting slump up in Colorado Springs. Phillip McDonald hitting seven for ten from three... now all Ro and Butta have to do is remember to put the biscuit in the basket a few times...

I’m SORRY! I started to sound like a certain Mountain commentator just then. It won’t happen again!

It is true that CSU has improved by leaps and bounds over the ’07-’08 team that was crushed in The Pit 91-51 two years ago and couldn’t muster a league win in 16 tries. Ole Miss transfer Andy Ogide (F) was even called the MWC’s best big man (he’s 6’9”- 11.6/5.6) by the Mountain (they said it, not me), which AJ Hardeman should take as a personal affront. Newcomer Dorian Green (G) ranks first among freshmen in scoring in the league and leads the Rams in scoring at 13.5 per clip, a steady pace since he’s only hit the 20-point mark twice (including 20 in their last game versus UNLV). 6’7” forward Travis Franklin scores at an 11.4/ppg clip shooting 54% from the field, but nearly matches that number from the charity stripe (he was 3/14 against the Rebels). Andre McFarland has had relative success against the Lobos in the past, but has been hampered with a bad back thus far this season.

In fact, the Rams will likely go with a lineup like the one they have used the past eight games: Green (6’2”) and Adam Nigon (6’3” JR- 8.6/ppg) at guards, Pierce Hornung (6’5” FR- 3.2/5.2) and Franklin (6’7”) at forward, with Ogide (6’9”) at center. The number of mismatches in the Lobos’ favor could rival the number of synonyms the word smash has. Throw in the fact that Green leads the team in assists... with 2.2 a game, and this game has the makings of a smashing, a smushing, a pulverizing, a crushing, a walloping, a whacking... shall I go on?

Think of it as a silence of the Rams: UNM 90, Colorado St. 67.

UNM (16-3, 2-2) @ Air Force (8-8, 0-3)
UNM road record (4-2, 1-0 neutral, 1-1 in MWC); Air Force home record (7-3, 0-1 in MWC)
Last games: UNM- 70-68 win at Wyoming (1/16); Air Force- 67-49 loss vs. BYU in MWC home opener (1/13).
What you may not know: Phillip McDonald single-handedly kept the Lobos’ consecutive made 3-point streak going against Wyoming- currently at 607 games- by making all three of UNM’s three pointers. Air Force had its consecutive made 3-point streak snapped earlier this year against Northern Colorado at 513 straight games- they went 0-17 in the November 21 tilt. AFA’s streak started after going 0-for against Adams State on December 4, 1991. UNM’s streak started after an 0-8 effort against CSU on January 3, 1991.

Spin the slots

Here is the fifth of hopefully 19 looks at the conference portion of the 2009-2010 Lobos' schedule. I am happy to report that there is no addiction to gambling here- thanks to a patch I found in an obscure pharmacia near the city, I am gamble-free going on 9 hours now.

Even better news: very few of the side effects they warned me about seem to be manifesting, although, as weird as it sounds, I seem to have a fixation on numbers, and you’d never know how many numbers there are until you start to see them all around you. Now before you say it, I don’t have an urge to count cards, though, oddly enough.

I am relatively certain one place I won’t see numbers is on this special slot machine I have at home. In fact, I seem to see everything but numbers on this thing, so let’s give it a spin and see what happens:



I asked leading numerologists what these symbols mean, and they’re still staring at an abacus and several calculators without having replied, so here is my best estimate:

1. I should put a phone number for the hotline for abused cats here. I apologize in advance for not knowing this number, but apparently cats have a pretty good health plan.

Or... this could mean the Air Force are some banged up cats, since only one of them will make his 17th start Wednesday, since four starters have missed time for the Falcons this season, and five guys will not likely play against the Lobos.

The word is AFA coach Jeff Reynolds is worried about the Lobos’ length as a result, and since tall guys are new to the Academy anyway, there probably aren’t any 6’7”+ guys walking around in The Springs for them to ask to fill in.

2. The second symbol means one of my old lunchboxes that I never kept is probably worth something approximating the gross national product of Belize or Tanzania, or maybe both of them combined.

Actually, I think this is a special symbol that recognizes AJ Hardeman’s efforts this year, and also that of his parents, who taught him to be humble and act like you’ve been there before. And AJ has been in Colorado Springs before, so rather than take in the sites, I think he’ll be focused on this game, although actually bringing a lunchbox onto the court might be construed as bringing a weapon and is probably not a good idea. Still, AJ can go to work on a team that is woefully thin in the post, and with the great work ethic he brings, there seems to be some success that can be had in the post against the Falcons.

3. The last image confirms that the numbers sailing around my living room have some deeper, cosmic meaning, like maybe I should have been born with a pig nose instead of the handsome mug I have instead. Or perhaps the protrusion extending from my tailbone is a hallucination and not a side effect of this Gambling patch on my arm.

How about this? In game after game this season, the Lobos have been able to throw a monkey wrench in the opponent’s game plan by switching to a zone. In last Wednesday’s game against BYU, Air Force was thrown into a tailspin after trailing by just 5 at the half when the Cougars went into a zone, and AFA went just 3-16 from three point range and scored just 18 points.

I’d tell you what kind of zone, except these numbers are just blurring around my head and I can’t tell a 1-2-2 from a 3-2 from a 2-3 right now. I feel a touch of triskaidekaphobia coming on- no, wait, I will only get that once this year, and in August. Nevermind.



Bloo's Take:

You know, sometimes you just need to switch things up. This game, for instance, seems to be all about the numbers, so let me walk you through some numbers.


0-With the road win in Wyoming, the Lobos now are one down at home, one up on the road, and for some this is back to square one, or ground zero if you prefer.
1-One Air Force Falcon (Evan Washington) has started all 16 games.
2-Two Lobos have split high-scoring honors with 6 games each- Darington Hobson and Roman Martinez. The Lobos are 12-0 in those games.
3-Of the three Front Range MWC schools, Steve Alford is trying to go 3-0 on the road with each of them. Mission accomplished in Laramie. A win in Colorado Springs would be his third in three tries there.
4-Four is the number of games the Lobos have won consecutive versus AFA.
5-Five is the number of AFA players who will likely miss Wednesday’s game- Sammy Schafer, Grant Parker, Taylor Stewart, Taylor Broekhuis, and Mike McClain.
19- Nineteen is the number of consecutive conference games the AF has dropped.
20- Twenty is the number Roman Martinez dropped on the Falcons in Colorado Springs last year.
40- When the Lobos shoot north of 40%, they are 15-0.
60- When the Falcons are held under 60 this season, they are 0-7. The Lobos are 37-0 when holding their opponents under 60, including 7-0 this season.
70- The Lobos are 13-0 when they score at least 70 points this season.
I think that about sums it up. Well... that, and these important numbers:

UNM 70, Air Force 59.

UNM (15-3, 1-2) @ Wyoming (8-9, 1-2)
UNM road record: (3-2, 1-0 neutral, 0-1 in MWC); Wyoming home record: (7-5, 1-1 in MWC)
Last games: UNM- 74-57 win vs. Utah (1/13); Wyoming- 62-59 win at TCU in MWC road opener (1/12).
What you may not know: Wyoming ranks first in the nation in made free throws and second in the nation in free throws attempted. New Mexico ranks fourth in the nation in both categories- 42 behind Wyoming in made free throws, and 15 behind them in attempted free throws.

Spin the slots

Here is the fourth of hopefully 19 looks at the conference portion of the 2009-2010 Lobos' schedule. No thanks to Steve, the sock puppet, I feel much better knowing that these reports are not the cause of any Lobo losing streaks. It’s a good thing, because Steve didn’t come out of the rinse cycle as well as I had hoped. If anybody knows of a good seamstress, please forward them my contact information.

And while you’re forwarding things, if anyone has a number to explain to Gamblers Anonymous that the fact that I am harboring a strange slot machine in my home and one that I pull a couple of times a week does not mean I have an addiction to gambling- I think my neighbor has become concerned and may have tipped them off.

Tonight I’ve waited until she’s finally drawn the curtains and is off to go play bingo at the senior center. Finally, I was able to give the special slot machine at home a spin tonight and here’s what it came up with:



Now, I’m no expert, but I did talk with my bookie, who is somewhat of an expert on any number of subjects- just pick a number, and you’re probably close- and we decided that the images must mean this:

1. Will putting a whole animal inside a pressure cooker make the animal explode? You know, like a duck that they sell at an Asian market, or a whole pig? What about a sock puppet? Just curious.

Anyway, this image is obviously in reference to pressuring, or more specifically, to handling pressure. Wyoming ranks 12th in the nation (1st in the MWC) in steals per game at 10.2 per. They average forcing 18.4 turnovers a game, and have forced 20 or more turnovers on seven different occasions. It’s almost as if they might try to trap Darington Hobson when his name is announced during pre-game. They will come out in full-court pressure from the tip and it will continue until the final buzzer.

How the Lobos handle their pressure will be a key to the game. Possibly THE key.

2. The second symbol is a highly recommended stress reliever for those times when your bets are in a tailspin and you feel as if you are just handing over wads of money to your bookie for no apparent reason.

Actually, the Lobos under Steve Alford are very good at taking a team’s best option away from them, and they can take more than option away, as evidenced by the job they did on Luca Drca and Carlon Brown on Wednesday (11 combined points on 4/13 shooting, including 1/6 on three-pointers. This is a very effective plan- make teams beat you with guys that aren’t heavily relied upon.

Meet Wyoming. The obvious guy to stop is Afam Muojeke, who is second in the conference in scoring at 18.1 points per game. He’s scored 20 or more seven times, and went off for 30 against SDSU last Saturday. Stop him, but there are three other Cowboys averaging between 10.1 and 11.6 points per game. In fact, NINE DIFFERENT Cowboys have scored in double figures this season, and four different guys have scored 20+ at least once. Kind of reminds you of a Whack-A-Mole game- smack down one Cowboy, and another comes out of another hole. And another. And another.


3. The last image looks like the Pit plans that I’m sure you or I could commandeer and move along quicker than those guys who are taking a three hour break on game nights and have the best seat in the house.

I think in relation to the game in Wyoming, though, this image means that the plan UNM used against Utah- attack the rim, go right at those big shot blockers is the same plan they should use against Wyoming. Like Utah, the Pokes have three guys who average right around a block per game, so while not as intimidating as the stats Utah brought into The Pit, still formidable and something to take note of. And since you can bet Wyoming will get to the line, getting their fair share of foul shots will be an important part of the game plan for the Lobos as well.

Now, where did those futures my bookie left with me go?

Bloo's Take:

Just when you thought the Lobos were going into the softer portion of their schedule, you look at stats from this Cowboy team this season and wonder how these guys are only 8-9. You can’t ignore that SDSU is already losers up in Laramie, having belched up a 17-point lead. IN that game, Wyoming took its first lead of the game with 6 seconds left. Evidently, no one has told these Cowboys that they suck and that they should throw down their cards and fold.
The Cowboys come into the game Saturday with a 78.6 ppg scoring clip (1.3 ppg better than the Lobos), so I think it is safe to say that the score will be up there. The key to how “up there” the score is will depend on which Cowboys the Lobos choose to try to take out of the equation, and how successful they are doing that. I would recommend, after the obvious choice- Muojeke- that the Lobos look at former Aggie Jaydee Luster. Since conference play, he is averaging 12 ppg and almost 5 assists per game, while turning the ball over 4 times- in all three games combined. He’s the Wyo starter who doesn’t average double figures in their overall game stats- good luck with figuring out who will be the hot hand in this game.
I think the Lobos come into Laramie with a little confidence, but I don’t think the coaches let them think this one is in the bag. Even if the Lobos get a lead early on, don’t expect this Cowboy team to quit or stop pressing. I see an old fashioned shoot out in this one:

UNM 90, Wyoming 83.

Utah (8-7, 1-0) @ UNM (14-3, 0-2)
UNM home record (10-1, 0-1 in MWC); Utah road record (1-2, 1-1 neutral, 0-0 in MWC)
Last games: UNM- 74-62 loss vs. UNLV in MWC home opener (1/9); Utah- 65-45 win vs. TCU in MWC opener (1/9).
What you may not know: Since Steve Alford became head coach 2 ½ years ago, UNM has not lost three consecutive games, nor have they dropped consecutive home games.

Spin the slots

Here is the third of hopefully 19 looks at the conference portion of the 2009-2010 Lobos' schedule. I feel under as much pressure as the Lobos do, having the burden of this important job of providing insightful and cogent looks at these conference games. In fact, I invite everyone to heap pressure upon me, so as to take the load from the Lobos and let them relax.

On second thought, I’m about as fragile as an Italian cut glass chandelier and giving the go-ahead to heap pressure upon me is like inexplicably leaving that chandelier in the middle of a street in Pamplona on July 6th.

Ignoring the fact that I just read what the slot machine says- I don’t make this stuff up- and no one should blame me or put undue strain upon my psyche, I nevertheless experience shame and guilt and I long for a way to remedy my good name. I searched frantically along the fringes of my porch to see if any glass orbs might have been left in the same manner as this strange slot machine was- to no avail! So once again I gave the special slot machine at home a spin tonight and here’s what it came up with:



Now, having failed in finding a crystal ball to aid me, I called on the next most reliable seer I could find- Steve, my sock puppet. Steve and I conferred, and we decided the symbols above mean this:

1. Somehow Steve’s right eye has gone missing, and I need to find it and bandage it back on. I don’t know how I expect him to “see” things in this state.

Actually, what this means is that the Lobos, have come out of the gates in conference with damaged psyche’s (I know the feeling), and yet there is simply not enough time to adequately heal what ails this team, so let’s slap some bandages on and try to hold it together. A few breaks, a few shots, and the confidence will come oozing out of the wounds like puss... eww, that’s not a good image!

How about this? The Lobos are like a wounded animal, but bandage up those wounds, get a few breaks and a few shots to fall, and they will come out of their limp and start bounding about like Mexican wolves. Which is what they are. Nice going, Steve.

2. The second symbol means that I should sock Steve in the head whenever he makes a bad or corny analogy like the last one.

Actually, I just end up hurting my hand listening to bad advice like that. It must mean that the Lobos have been punched instead of punching, and with a team like Utah, the MWC leaders in blocked shots, standing in the paint, it’s time to put up a fight and not back down. The last two games have resulted in no tacos, and we need the Lobos to put up more of a fight in game three, because... well, we’re hungry.

Quit looking at me like that, Steve. Your’s wasn’t any better.

3. The last image looks suspiciously like the dollar I will spend on those tacos once the Lobos start scoring more than 65 points again.

See? I told you you weren’t normal.

Steve! Who told you you could start typing? Please, everyone ignore this sock puppet, who clearly needs a trip into the rinse cycle. I found a dollar in there last time, so it’s worth a look once he’s finished.
Speaking of finished, I always thought of the pyramid thingy on the back of the dollar as unfinished, and the eye was some sort of foreman telling them to finish the darned thing. Weird eye thing. Maybe Steve would like that eye?

Anyway, I think this means that the Lobos need to finish- finish drives at the rim, finish with the intensity they start with, finish foul shooting- just finish this game!

Bloo's Take:

You know, some things just need to be left well enough alone. The Lobos have some streaks that need to stay streaks, like not having lost three consecutive games or two home games with a coach on their sidelines named Alford, and I need to stick to interpreting the slots instead of trying to read things into them or prognosticate using sock puppets named Steve.
Game number three brings in the team picked to finish just ahead of the Lobos, and a line in the sand needs to be drawn. There are fourteen games left in conference, but none might end up being more important in the grand scheme of things than this one. Win and the confidence comes back. Win and you can build on it and take it to Laramie.
The Lobos need to concentrate on taking Utah’s runs and punches and run and punch back. They need to concentrate on what they can control: their own will and determination and concentration. Finish at the rim. Don’t get down if a shot gets blocked (and chances are more than one will- the Utes lead the league with slightly under 7 blocked shots per game). Mental toughness at the free throw line.
The Utes come in winners of three straight, including their last road game at LSU, but this is also a team that has lost at Pepperdine, at Weber State, at home to Idaho, to Seattle... this is not a Rick Majerus team, but MAN these guys are tall, aren’t they?
I cannot even imagine seeing any other outcome other than a Lobo victory, because I just can’t, and Steve the sock puppet is indisposed at the moment:
UNM 70, Utah 53.