Mountain West Conference Basketball Weekly Recap

Scores

Wednesday, December 28

UNLV 124, Central Arkansas 75

New Mexico 89, New Mexico State 69

Colorado State 56, UTEP 53

Thursday, December 29

Wagner 72, Air Force 61

Colorado State 79, Jacksonville State 56

Friday, December 30

Air Force 42, Eastern Michigan 37

San Diego State 94, Redlands 43

Saturday, December 31

UNLV 74, Hawaii 69

Boise State 76, Idaho 73

New Mexico 64, Saint Louis 60

Tulsa 74, TCU 66

There weren't a lot of games played in the Mountain West Conference during the week after Christmas; only 11 total games filled the slate in the six-day span from Dec. 27 through New Year's Day. However, in the games that were played, one very strong storyline emerged: The New Mexico Lobos are back and they're intent on crashing the NCAA Tournament regardless of how well they fare in the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

New Mexico made a big run at the flag in 2010, when Los Lobos gained a No. 3 national seed and won the Mountain West championship. Then, in 2011, coach Steve Alford's team fell off the map due to the loss of many dependable players. This year, however, UNM appears to be back on the beam. The athletes from Albuquerque rose up to meet the moment in two games that figured to require all their energies and efforts.

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New Mexico began its immensely successful week by not only beating in-state rival New Mexico State, but thumping the Aggies. New Mexico State was the preseason favorite in the Western Athletic Conference, but New Mexico ran the Aggies out of the gymnasium en route to a 20-point victory on the road in Las Cruces. Drew Gordon came up huge with 23 points and 19 rebounds for the Lobos, who hit 12 threes while limiting New Mexico State to only one. The comprehensive beatdown showed how diverse New Mexico is. The Lobos established considerable inside-outside balance on offense, but they were also able to shut out NMSU for a key six-minute stretch. When New Mexico locked down at the defensive end of the floor, the Lobos were able to uncork a 19-3 run which put the game out of reach.

This past Saturday, New Mexico took on the Saint Louis Billikens, a very solid team that has already beaten Washington and Villanova (among others) in non-conference competition. SLU coach Rick Majerus used to ply his trade in the Mountain West Conference as the boss of the Utah Utes, who made the 1998 NCAA national championship game before falling to Kentucky. New Mexico managed to grind out a four-point win over Saint Louis, further bolstering its NCAA resume while also avoiding a post-New Mexico State letdown. This season is looking very promising for New Mexico. It might not become the joyride the 2010 season proved to be, but it's certainly trending upward at the moment.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer