One Game at a Time: UNM Faces Red-Hot Colorado State with Mountain West Title Hopes on the Line
Senior Luke Haupt dribbles around a San Diego State defender. Haupt is one of 5 seniors being honored on Senior Night against Colorado State on March 4, the final game in the Pit of the season. Photo: UNM Athletics.
Don’t look ahead. Don’t check the standings. Just win the next one.
That’s the approach for UNM men’s basketball as they enter the final week of the Mountain West Conference regular season. With conference championship and NCAA at-large scenarios swirling, UNM’s focus remains narrow: take care of business Wednesday night at the Pit against the streaking Colorado State Rams before worrying about a potential marquee matchup with league leading Utah State to possibly win a share of the Mountain West regular season title.
“I think we’ve done a really great job of not talking about the Utah State game at all,” senior guard Luke Haupt said during pre-game media availability. “Understanding how good Colorado State is, they’re on a 7-game winning streak. (They) didn’t lose in February. We’re aware that they’re a very good team. We can’t get to any of the goals we want to get to without taking care of business tomorrow night.” .
Colorado State (19-10, 10-8) was 3-8 at one point in Mountain West play and has flipped its season with seven straight victories. The Rams come to Albuquerque brimming with confidence after an 85-73 road win over San Jose State on Saturday.
CSU shot a blistering 28-of-45 from the field and 9-of-17 from beyond the arc in that win, a snapshot of an offense that has re-emerged as one of the nation’s most efficient after the Rams sputtered in the early part of conference play.
At center of the surge is guard Brandon Rechsteiner (6-1), who is on heater from the 3-point line over the last 4 games. Against SJSU on Saturday, he buried five 3-pointers in the first half and added another in the second half finishing with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Rechsteiner is averaging 18.3 points over his last four games and has made at least five 3-pointers in three straight contests.
But the Rams are far from a one-man show.
Forward Carey Booth (6-10) continues to provide interior scoring and free-throw production. He went 8-of-9 at the stripe Saturday and finished with 15 points and five rebounds. Booth averages 10 points and five boards per game, leads the team in free-throw attempts, and recently poured in a season-high 22 points in a win over San Diego State. Booth also offers some physicality and rim protection on defense, having 6 blocks against Wyoming during the streak.
Senior wing Jevin Muniz may be the glue that holds it all together. The 6-foot-6 playmaker recorded a 12-point, 10-assist double-double against San Jose State and is averaging 12.8 points and 5.1 assists during the Rams’ seven-game winning streak. Muniz leads the Mountain West in assists (4.72 per game) and directs an offense built on ball movement and off-ball screening.
Forward Kyle Jorgensen, the Rams’ second-leading scorer at 11.7 points per game, has worked his way back from a knee injury he suffered in December and did not play against the Lobos the first time. While he has not consistently dominated the scoring column — aside from a 24-point outburst against Utah State — he is a playmaker at 6-foot-9 who opens up 3-point shooting for other Rams.
Reserve forward Rashaan Mbemba, who also did not play in the first meeting against UNM, has embraced a key bench role. He has reached double figures four times during the streak and ranks third on the team in rebounds while also providing physical screens and interior toughness.
Colorado State’s offense is statistically among the nation’s best. The Rams rank second in the Mountain West in assists (15.86 per game), are seventh nationally in 3-point percentage at 39 percent, and sit in the top 50 in KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency. They are also No. 8 in the country in effective field-goal percentage.
“They’re terrific offensively,” Eric Olen said. “They’re one of the best shooting teams in the country, both from three with real volume and from two as well…They stress your defense in so many ways with their spacing, with their execution. Their skill level, their passing. It’s very difficult to take everything away from them.”
Even when the 3-point shot falters — as it did in CSU’s 74-70 comeback win over Fresno State on Feb. 24 — the Rams have shown an ability to adapt. After starting 4-of-18 from deep in that game, CSU attacked the basket in the second half, scoring inside the arc and getting to the free-throw line 15 times to erase a 14-point deficit.
Though rebounding has been a season-long weakness (32.7 per game), the Rams have tightened that area during the streak, winning or holding their own on the glass in recent outings. The presence of Jorgenson and Mbemba have improved CSU’s rebounding woes.
Bottom Line
When UNM defeated Colorado State 80-70 on Jan. 9, the Rams were a different group. They were missing two key front court pieces, and the offense struggled to find rhythm. CSU shot just 7-of-25 from 3-point range and committed 14 turnovers against UNM’s pressure defense, leading to 21 Lobo points off turnovers. Meanwhile, New Mexico shot 11-of-25 (40%) from deep.
Expect a far sharper version of the Rams on Wednesday.
For the Lobos, even if CSU has some players back and are on a 7-game winning streak, their scheme is the same. Defensively, the Lobos have to stick on shooters like Rechsteiner and defend the 3-point line while also disrupting CSU’s rhythm with ball pressure and fighting through screens. Offensively, the Lobos need to get downhill and attack the rim to create the dribble drive flow in their offense, while capitalizing on opportunities to run in transition against one of the slowest teams in the country.
Series History
Colorado State will be making its final trip to the Pit for the foreseeable future as it is moving on to the PAC-12 next season. UNM owns a 83-53 advantage over the Rams and a 48-6 edge in the Pit.
