In a game that started on Saturday and ended on Sunday, the Lobos clinched bowl-eligibility last week with their win against Nevada. I’m not sure if there were more people in the stands or on the field when the game actually ended, but it was an exciting game, nonetheless. This week, the Lobos look to keep their hot streak going when they travel to Utah State in search of their fifth-straight game.
Men’s Basketball Game 1: Idaho State
It’s time for the first real game for the UNM men’s basketball team, as they take on the Idaho State Bengals in a Friday night matchup. After disappointing ends to the last couple of seasons, this looks like it might be a Lobo team that is worth getting excited about, so hopefully they’ll put on a strong performance to make people take notice.
Men’s Soccer: CUSA Tournament Semis Preview
The match of the day on the opening day of the Conference USA Tournament was, without question, the match between the Lobos (10-6-2) and Kentucky. The Lobos twice found themselves down a goal and twice were able to respond with an equalizer within a couple of minutes. The Lobos were able to get goals from Sam Gleadle and Nick Rochowski to end the match in a 2-2 draw. Since it was in tournament play, it went to the always-tense penalty shootout. Coach Fishbein put in backup goalie and PK specialist Ford Parker for the shootout. What Parker ended up doing is one of the most impressive feats I have seen, saving 4 of the 5 attempts and allowing the Lobos to win the shootout 2-1 to advance to the semifinals. It is strange to say that the man of the match was someone that didn’t actually play a second of the match.
Women’s Basketball Team Preview
The Lobo women’s basketball team went 2-0 during their exhibition season, winning games against two Division II schools in Fort Lewis (101-48) and Eastern New Mexico (89-70). The Lobos will officially kick off the Coach Mike Bradbury era Saturday afternoon against Fairleigh Dickinson. While there is little that we can take away from the first two exhibitions, we can look at the numbers each player had last season and try to guess what kind of growth we could see in each player. It will be difficult to see what the impact of Coach Bradbury’s system will be on each player, since his system is completely different to what Coach Sanchez ran, so each stat should be taken with a grain of salt.
Men’s Soccer: CUSA Tournament Preview
The Lobos (10-6-1, 4-3-1) head to Huntington, West Virginia for the Conference USA Soccer Tournament. In the seven team field, the Lobos are the #5 seed and will face Kentucky in the first round. The Lobos are in a situation where they could not make the NCAA tournament at all or could even get a national seed if they are able to win the tournament. As we have seen in the past with seeding, the Lobos can’t leave anything in the hands of the selection committee and must play this tournament like it is their last match of the season. There are two very good wins available for the Lobos in the first two rounds of the tournament, so they have a great chance to improve their resume.
Lobo Football vs. Nevada Game Preview
Last week, on their trip to Hawaii, the Lobos managed to pick up their third straight win, move to just a single win away from bowl eligibility, and, perhaps most encouragingly, win a game with their defense. They’re full of momentum right now and they’ll look to keep that going against the Nevada Wolf Pack, who after losing four of their last five, are just trying to get their season back on track.
Men’s Soccer vs. Old Dominion Match Preview
Tonight is Senior Night for the Lobos (9-6-1, 3-3-1), as well as the regular season finale. The Lobos were able to clinch a spot in the conference tournament with their win on Sunday against South Carolina, with goals by seniors Chris Wehan and Niko Hansen. While the field is set, there is plenty for the Lobos to play for on Friday. First, the Lobos could possibly move up to the #3 seed in the tournament with a win and some help. Second, the Lobos look to go undefeated at home this season, which would be a huge accomplishment. Finally, they could end this senior class’ home careers with a huge win against the ODU Monarchs (5-7-2, 2-4-1). This will be a night of celebrating the five seniors that have done so much for this program and I hope that a great Lobo crowd shows up for this match.
Men’s Basketball Player Preview
Lobo basketball is back! Tonight, even! It’s a talented roster with a lot of returning players, including two first-team all-conference selections, so needless to say, we’re excited for this year. To get ready for it, we decided to look at the roster and see how the players did last year, based on some advanced statistics and broken down into guards, wings, and posts. From this, we can see where the strengths of each player are, and get some insight where they probably spent some time this summer improving.
Cross Country Mountain West Championship Recap
On Friday, the cross country teams traveled to Idaho to take on the other members of the Mountain West for the conference championships. As expected, the women again took home the trophy, making it nine years in a row. On the men’s side, the young team continued to show improvement, running a strong race to place fifth in a tough field.
Men’s Soccer vs. South Carolina Match Preview
The Lobos (8-6-1, 2-3-1) return to the friendly confines of the UNM Soccer Complex for their last two matches of the Conference USA schedule. The Lobos are coming off a very important road win at UAB that has opened many possibilities for seeding in the conference tournament. It starts Sunday night against second-place South Carolina (9-5-1, 4-1-1). If the Lobos are able to win this match, it gives them the possibility to move all the way up to the number 2 seed. This is such a huge match for the Lobos, where a win would seal their bid to the conference tournament and gives them a good shot of making the NCAA Tournament.