After Utah State loss, UNM seeks reset against Boise State in the Pit
UNM guards Uriah Tenette and Deyton Albury walk back to the huddle during UNM’s 98-71 win over Santa Clara on Dec. 8. Photo courtesy of UNM Athletics.
Eric Olen has quickly continued the tradition of winning for UNM men’s basketball.
Despite a setback 86-66 loss to Utah State on Wednesday, Olen’s Lobos enter Saturday night’s matchup against Boise State at 18-5 overall and 9-3 in Mountain West play, good for third place in the league standings, and still in contention to get a top 3 seed in the Mountain West conference tournament.
“We feel like our best basketball and good basketball from us, is good enough every night, at home, on the road, against every team that we could potentially see,” Olen said after the Utah State loss. “It’s not about our capability, its just about our execution and performance.”
To get where they want to be, the Lobos must deliver a better effort tonight at 8 p.m. in the Pit against the Broncos who are 14-9 overall and 6-6 in conference, than they did in the 62-53 defeat the Lobos suffered to BSU on Dec. 30.
UNM endured season lows in points (53), field goal percentage (31%), and 3-point shooting (12%) the first time it played Boise on the road.
Freshman Jake Hall struggled more than any other Lobo against the Broncos, shooting 1-of-10 from the field and 0-of-7 from the 3-point line for his lowest offensive output of the season.
“Both teams had a lot of shots where you’re like ‘oh I can’t believe they missed that,’” Boise State head coach Leon Rice said previewing this matchup with UNM. “We had a lot of those too. It turned into a defensive struggle rock fight, and I think we played a pretty good defensive game, but there were some open shots on both ends where you don’t count on those being missed again.”
The Broncos arrive in Albuquerque riding momentum. Boise State is coming off a 91-87 overtime win over Nevada and has won five of its last six games. During that stretch, the Broncos have averaged 84 points per game while holding opponents to 70.
Part of Boise State’s resurgence has been the improved play of UCLA transfer guard Dylan Andrews (6-2). Andrews is coming off a 25 point and six assist performance against the Wolf Pack, and he drained a step-back 3-pointer in overtime to seal the win.
Boise’s core of 6-foot-7 and over giants have also played well during this stretch. Senior forward Javann Buchannan (6-7) put in 23 points on 9-of-9 shooting from the free throw line to along with 5 rebounds against Nevada.
Junior forward Andrew Meadow missed key free throws that would have put the Wolf Pack away before OT, but Meadow still leads Boise State in 3-point field goal percentage at 40% on 30-of-74 shooting on the season.
Freshman forward Spencer Ahrens (6-10) had a good game against the Lobos with 12 points and 8 rebounds in the first meeting. He’s second on the team in 3-point field goal percentage at 39% from deep.
Boise State freshman forward Spencer Ahrens knocked down two second half 3-pointers against UNM on Dec. 30. Photo courtesy of BSU Athletics.
Georgetown transfer forward Drew Fielder (6-11) has been Boise State’s most consistent rebounder and scorer, leading the team with 13.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
As a team, Boise State uses its size to be one of the best rebounding teams in the country. The Broncos are No. 4 in Ken Pom’s defensive rebounding percentage and have four players that average between 4.5 and 5.4 rebounds per game.
Keys to the Game
Get Out in Transition: Boise State wants to play a slow, halfcourt game where they can set their defense and use their size to clog up the lane for UNM. UNM only got 9 points off turnovers and 10 fast break points against Utah State. The Lobos’ defense will need to force turnovers and push the ball in transition to avoid a grind it out game with the bigger Broncos.
2. Feed Tomislav Buljan Early: Getting high percentage shots at the rim opens up UNM’s offense. Buljan got going too late against Utah State, and was in foul trouble the first time these teams played in Boise. UNM is much better offensively when Buljan is involved, and UNM’s guards will need to find him in the pick and roll and when driving the basket.
3. Finish At the Rim: UNM was 17-of-40 from 2-point range against Boise State back on Dec. 30, and the Lobos just had another tough performance against Utah State, shooting only 14-of-25 on layups, with Deyton Albury shoooting 3-of-10. Easier said then done against Boise State’s size, but if UNM gets shots at the rim in the half-court, they’ve got to put them in or get to the free throw line and convert.
