New Mexico (18-6, 9-4 MWC) arrives in Phoenix coming off a heartbreaking 91-90 loss to Boise State, despite a 30-point explosion from Luke Haupt. While the Lobos dominated the first meeting at The Pit, the momentum has shifted. GCU is looking to exploit a New Mexico team that appears to be hitting a mid-season skid, while the Lopes aim to prove they can maintain a "higher floor" even with key contributor Caleb Shaw out indefinitely.

Here is a Q & A with Go Lopes Radio’s Brennan Williams to breakdown the Grand Canyon men’s basketball team.

1. Grand Canyon currently sits in the top five of the Mountain West at 8-4. How significant is this stretch run for GCU’s chances for a top seed in the MWC Tourney?

It is vital. We know everybody has dealt with injuries, and some teams worse than others. But the Lopes are trying to keep this on track while Caleb Shaw is out indefinitely. We are starting to see what GCU misses with him not out there, but great teams still have to find a way to win. The hope is that yes they can win the upcoming games, but I think the hope is that they show a higher floor of play on a night to night basis as well.

UNLV was a big step backwards, and Bryce talked about how disappointed he was to not keep the momentum going in the right direction. But that is why we love conference play, you always get another chance in two or three days to correct any mistakes.

2. After GCU’s dominant win over Air Force and recent surge, what has changed defensively that’s allowed the Lopes to climb into the conference race?

Before the season when I was asked what has made Bryce Drew teams special defensively, I answered in what may have seemed like a cliche - “They just guard tough”. They never have really had a center that they funnel everything too, they have always just been so physical and forceful on the perimeter. It all starts there, and up until UNLV they had done a really great job of that. After the tough work on the outside then you have Nana Owusu-Anane doing a Draymond/Middle Linebacker/Free Safety impersonation awaiting you in the paint, and it all adds up to a pretty special unit when they are dialed.

They currently sit at 19th in the country on KenPom in defense, and have really raised their floor and ceiling on that end. Time after time we have seen the conference’s best get rattled and frustrated, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

3. With Utah State and San Diego State atop the standings, how realistic is it for Grand Canyon to break into that top tier over the next month?

It is still right there in front of them. You can game theory this thing really hard for the Lopes… They have a handful of games still against the bottom tier Mountain West teams, and then just have to find a way to steal one of the Utah State/SDSU road games. But game theory gets you in trouble (See UNLV on Saturday as example one) and each week the Mountain West seems to throw itself into a blender.

So that is why I think the messaging has to solely be about them. Can you replicate the effort on the defensive end pre UNLV? Can they be competent on offense and score enough to be more dynamic on a night to night basis? We have seen them go toe to toe with everybody and I think the Lopes have the right to say everything is still in front of them in the Mountain West, but what happened on Saturday was inexcusable and cannot happen again.

4. New Mexico is coming off back-to-back defensive struggles and a tough home loss to Utah State. How might that impact their mindset heading into this matchup with GCU?

It really is interesting to see the ebbs and flows of conference play. 10 days ago Utah State fans were mad at Calhoun, and now the Lobos have hit a little bit of a skid. Part of me does wonder if we are starting to see some of the youth of the UNM team maybe show over the last few games, and that is very normal and not a slight in any way.

But road trips have a way of galvanizing things. I know the home crowd at The Pit is special, but the Lopes were able to harness the “Us against the world” mindset when they went on the road and into Boise right after a brutal loss at home earlier this season. Can the Lobos do something similar this week? Get out of your rhythm at home and find something on the road? Keeping an eye on this Lobo group and I think we will have an idea by the first media timeout Wednesday where they are at mentally.

5. The first meeting at The Pit ended in a decisive New Mexico win. What tactical adjustments does Grand Canyon need to make to close that gap this time around?

I think there are a few things to point out from game one. I’d say the first would be I thought they didn’t handle the moment well. The reffing was strange, but it is also just how this stuff works (I gave the same message to the Aztecs after the foul with 2 seconds left) in tough environments. So first lesson would be to not overreact. I think the double technical was at a tough time when the game was still in reach and was really the final blow that took the Lopes out of it. So I just think you have to flush that last 12 minutes of the game, and look at the first 28 minutes and say you can hang with this team.

Second, somebody needs to step up and provide some resistance to Jake Hall. He effortlessly scored however he wanted in the first game. He caught the ball exactly where he wanted to, got the shots he wanted, and it didn’t even look like he broke a sweat. You always hear players and coaches say you have to control what you can with a talented scorer (not if a shot goes in, but the work that goes in to make the shot as tough as possible). The bottom line is GCU needs to make his catches tougher, try to push him off his usual spot (especially that mid-range), and then make him work on defense.

6. From a matchup standpoint, which Grand Canyon player or unit gives New Mexico the most problems — and where do the Lobos have the clearest advantage?

I think it should be Jaden Henley. The size with his skills is just not something I think the Lobos have an answer for. He was super comfortable in game one, and the hope is he has a big bounce back after a very disappointing game in Las Vegas.

In my opinion Jaden Henley is at his best in informal situations - transition, offensive rebounds, etc. He is so good and slithery, and with some space and a defense on its heels he really thrives. In slower halfcourt settings is where you see him settle for tougher jumpers and not have as much success.

But bottom line: monitoring a Jaden Henley bounce back game for Wednesday!

7. With the Mountain West looking like a multi-bid (2-3 teams) league again, how important are quad-one opportunities like this for GCU’s postseason résumé?

I think the honest answer is the at-large ship has sailed for the Lopes. Especially when you consider the committee always has a slight lean (whether acknowledged or not) towards the big power broker universities in college sports.

But I think the Youngstown loss just is one that cannot be overlooked with how much they have struggled this season, and then the UNLV game on Saturday was just one you could not lose.

It doesn’t mean these big games have no meaning, as they are massive confidence building moments for when they head back to Thomas & Mack in a little over a month.

8. What would a home win over New Mexico do for Grand Canyon’s credibility as a true Mountain West contender rather than just a surprise newcomer?

I just mentioned it above, but the newness of this group means each day is a really big opportunity to improve. And especially when it is an opportunity against a basketball-crazed university that is a talented and well coached team.

GCU just doesn’t know anything to do other than try and invest, so I still expect awesome energy down the stretch and Bryce to continue to push buttons and try to run the table.

Again I think for now they are locked in having to win the Mountain West Tournament, but the hope is they can get some 2025 Colorado State momentum rolling and really rattle off some impressive wins.

9. Looking at the second half of conference play, which upcoming stretch or opponent will ultimately define whether GCU is a top-four team or a middle-of-the-pack squad?

I definitely think it is this 3 game stretch upcoming.

New Mexico: Lopes need their get back for game one, and catch them at as good of a time as they can. UNM struggling (relatively) and obviously this is a clear chance to try to make that move to try to get into the top of the Mountain West.

San Jose on the road: Time to prove the road woes are not a real thing, and that they can handle business in a game they are expected to.

San Diego State on the road: Can you sneak a win out and sweep the Aztecs? The Utah State game is an environment that is just so hard, so I think this is the opportunity to beat one of the top teams.

10. Big picture: do you see Grand Canyon as a legitimate threat to win multiple games in the Mountain West Tournament — and what would need to happen for that to become reality?

Yes.

They were my preseason pick to win the conference tournament actually. I thought that this team would be a lot different in late February/March than they were in November, and loved the idea of what this team could be. I do feel justified in that they have shown they can hang against the top teams, but there is one thing this GCU team needs to get better at.

Finding different ways to win games. The line is too thin for them because they just have not been that dynamic offensively, and they have to be near perfect defensively and in all other areas. They have shown an ability to pop offensively a few nights this year, but over three or four days they are going have to win games in different ways. We need to see them reliably score the ball a lot more efficiently and consistently to make a serious run in Vegas.