New Mex by 2 over the Bills

[The Wiz]

An impressive win by UNM over NMSU especially since NMSU beat them at The Pit earlier this season. Before last night's game the Bills would have had a slight edge over the Lobos. But last night's game swung the momentum back in favor of UNM.

I am writing a little more detail on this game because many (myself included) feel this is a critical game. This game will not only affect numbers and rankings but also the psyche of the team gouing forward, much as the Washington game set the tone earlier in the season.

This will be our toughest game so far and possibly of the season. Besides the fact that UNM is a quality opponent (A-), we are playing at The Pit. So first lets deal with The Pit.

The Pit

In my opinion, The Pit is the the most difficult venue in the country to play in. Yes, I know about Cameron, Allen Fieldhouse, Rupp, etc. I am saying there is nothing like The Pit. Let's take a quick tour to find out why. Standing outside yiu see a large 1 story building with a flat roof. Looking around, you ask," where's the arena?" It looks like one of those giant U-Store-It warehouse buildings. Only the wiry sculpture around the entrance way differentiates it. Walking into the building you find yourself at the top row of the arena with the seats going down at a sharp angle. Those seats continue down to within a few feet of the playing floor....thus the name Pit. From a fan perspective, it's great Every seat is good viewing and even at the top row you are fairly close to the action. And then you have big bunches of fans just a few feet from the playing surface. Now let's put that flat roof on top of those 17000 screaming fans. Let's have that roof high enough so you don't bump your head but not too much higher.

From a visiting player's perspective, it is a nightmare. It is so loud and intense, it can throw any team off their game. This place gives new meaning to the words ...home field advantage. Sound levels have been measured as high as 125 decibels....the equivalent of a pneumatic riveter @ 4 feet. Add the Lobos in , who are going to jump on you from the opening tipoff and it's not a good combination.

Let's see what this looks like in action. Another team from Missouri showed up recently to play them and the results were typical. Missouri St lost to the Lobos by 16 points. MSU is a pretty good team(B+) but they never had a chance. There were down about 16 in the opening minutes and were never able to recover. UNM knocked them on their heels and the were out of sync for the rest of the game....turnovers, missed shots etc. This is not unusual as the Lobos have a winning percentage at home of about 82% dating back 45 years.

So what does all this mean? Does this mean we have an 82 % chance of losing? Heck no. Should you be nervous? Probably. So what do we have going for us. Well for starters, UNM is in the Mountain West conf....a conference RM coached in for many years. He is quite familar with the building. He will know how to prepare our team. In addition, even with our soft schedule , we have played some stiff competition. After all, we won the tourny in Anaheim that UNM also played in. We also will throw more defense at them than they are use to seeing. But I believe our biggest advantage is...............we are the better team. If we play our game and don't get rattled....we win. Easier said than done though. If I were coach, I would tell the team to play from opening tipoff as though there were only 3 minutes left in the game and it was tied. Focus, in the opening minutes, will be so important. If we start missing 3's in the beginning it will be difficult to come back.

UNM can be beaten at The Pit. NMSU, a good team (even though they got bombed last night) did it and they are not as good as the Bills. One thing that will come of this game, win or lose, it will make us a better team.

If we focus....we win.

Go Bills

[Cowboy]

-thanks wiz

-Let's Go Billikens!!!! huge opportunity, grab it

[Taj79]

We beat Luc Longley and company there to advance to the NIT finals in NYC in the late 80's. New Mexico getting only two means we are the better team. I am hoping our veteran leadership rises to the top and remains calm in this one. Going to be tough but we can overcome.

I also know Dayton is waiting for us and that fanbase is keen on taking us out.

[ACE]

This will definitely be our toughest game so far. I originally had it marked as a loss, but I think we are capable of winning if we play like we did in the 1st half of the Washington game. I'm glad NM dominated NMSU. The Lobos have a lot of talent. Not sure how they lost to Santa Clara. They have a highly regarded Aussie guard. I wonder if we were in on recruiting him.

[slu72]

We beat Luc Longley and company there to advance to the NIT finals in NYC in the late 80's. New Mexico getting only two means we are the better team. I am hoping our veteran leadership rises to the top and remains calm in this one. Going to be tough but we can overcome.

I also know Dayton is waiting for us and that fanbase is keen on taking us out.

We really couldn't have made a more trying two game stretch than at UNM and Dayton. I had a friend who lived in NM for a few years and he said the PIt is just God awful uncomfortable for a visiting team. I agree w/ the Wiz, the biggest plus we have going for us is RM since he's had a lot of experience coaching in that hell hole. I don't think he'll allow this game to get away from us. By that I mean he'll get us close enough to get a W, but don't be dismayed by an L either. It's not a badge of shame or the end of the world. Then we get the sweater vest/Jim Tressel crowd at Dayton. I think this one's gonna be a dog fight as well. Miller seems to be a better X and O guy than Gregory. Of course Dayton's had their ups and downs, but when I watched them against Minnesota they looked fast and physical. I'd be real pleased with a split in these two games, and hoping the W is the UD game.

[Cowboy]

We really couldn't have made a more trying two game stretch than at UNM and Dayton. I had a friend who lived in NM for a few years and he said the PIt is just God awful uncomfortable for a visiting team. I agree w/ the Wiz, the biggest plus we have going for us is RM since he's had a lot of experience coaching in that hell hole. I don't think he'll allow this game to get away from us. By that I mean he'll get us close enough to get a W, but don't be dismayed by an L either. It's not a badge of shame or the end of the world. Then we get the sweater vest/Jim Tressel crowd at Dayton. I think this one's gonna be a dog fight as well. Miller seems to be a better X and O guy than Gregory. Of course Dayton's had their ups and downs, but when I watched them against Minnesota they looked fast and physical. I'd be real pleased with a split in these two games, and hoping the W is the UD game.

-indeed we lost a true ally when gregory left the sv's

[Cowboy]

-fyi...kenpom has us rated at 16, new mex at 23, temp 38, x 55 and sv's 85 and new mex winning by 1 pt

[SluBallz]

I have a bad feeling about this game

[jimbofive]

I have a bad feeling about this game

FUOK THAT NOISE. No one is allowed to expect anything but a win against UNM. Would you expect your kid to lose a fistfight with the dirty kid down the street? No, you wouldn't. Unless your kid is a *****. Are the Bills a bunch of *******!?!? No, they're not. We're going to win so you all can just settle down. BC, KC and KM will lead this motherfuoker.

[Billiken Rich]

Screw it. We will lose again this season. I can almost guarantee it. If it's Saturday, so be it. I am confident though as never before that we will be prepared to play the game and will not get rattled and get blown out.

[CHEESE]

[eastsidejoe]

Bills by 5, wtf with all of these doubters.

[Cowboy]

-folks, just listen to jimbo

-it is simple

[b.hayes]

See you in New Mexico:

[billiken_roy]

billikens stay out of foul trouble they win. while we all agree the billikens depth is better than it might have ever been, imo, there is a big drop off after the starters and cody. i do not want to depend on bringing the ball down the court without kyle and kwamaine saturday. and i definitely dont want to depend on rebounds and lane defense without our heart of the line conklin. they have to play and play well.

[slufan13]

Bills pull away late, win by 14.

[3Bill]

billikens stay out of foul trouble they win. while we all agree the billikens depth is better than it might have ever been, imo, there is a big drop off after the starters and cody. i do not want to depend on bringing the ball down the court without kyle and kwamaine saturday. and i definitely dont want to depend on rebounds and lane defense without our heart of the line conklin. they have to play and play well.

"big drop off after the starters and cody." ?? You keep saying this and i couldn't disagree with you more. SLU has never had this much depth. There is a difference between cassity/mitchell and jordair/mccall, but its not that big. I'd like you to name one other team in our conference with a second team of guards that is as good as ours.

[Westy03]

billikens stay out of foul trouble they win. while we all agree the billikens depth is better than it might have ever been, imo, there is a big drop off after the starters and cody. i do not want to depend on bringing the ball down the court without kyle and kwamaine saturday. and i definitely dont want to depend on rebounds and lane defense without our heart of the line conklin. they have to play and play well.

I agree. We will have to limit turnovers as well which is a big strength of this team. Mitchell Cassity and Conklin have to play well. Cassity has to step it up on the road

[BillikenROAR]

Should be a very tough game. luckily our style of play will not allow us to get behind as quickly as Mo St .. but this team is as dangerous as it gets.

On a positive note.. Keith Carter is playing well up north..

http://napervillesun.suntimes.com/sports/9698365-419/benet-falls-to-fast-breaking-proviso-east.html

[Billsrmajic]

An impressive win by UNM over NMSU especially since NMSU beat them at The Pit earlier this season. Before last night's game the Bills would have had a slight edge over the Lobos. But last night's game swung the momentum back in favor of UNM.

I am writing a little more detail on this game because many (myself included) feel this is a critical game. This game will not only affect numbers and rankings but also the psyche of the team gouing forward, much as the Washington game set the tone earlier in the season.

This will be our toughest game so far and possibly of the season. Besides the fact that UNM is a quality opponent (A-), we are playing at The Pit. So first lets deal with The Pit.

The Pit

In my opinion, The Pit is the the most difficult venue in the country to play in. Yes, I know about Cameron, Allen Fieldhouse, Rupp, etc. I am saying there is nothing like The Pit. Let's take a quick tour to find out why. Standing outside yiu see a large 1 story building with a flat roof. Looking around, you ask," where's the arena?" It looks like one of those giant U-Store-It warehouse buildings. Only the wiry sculpture around the entrance way differentiates it. Walking into the building you find yourself at the top row of the arena with the seats going down at a sharp angle. Those seats continue down to within a few feet of the playing floor....thus the name Pit. From a fan perspective, it's great Every seat is good viewing and even at the top row you are fairly close to the action. And then you have big bunches of fans just a few feet from the playing surface. Now let's put that flat roof on top of those 17000 screaming fans. Let's have that roof high enough so you don't bump your head but not too much higher.

From a visiting player's perspective, it is a nightmare. It is so loud and intense, it can throw any team off their game. This place gives new meaning to the words ...home field advantage. Sound levels have been measured as high as 125 decibels....the equivalent of a pneumatic riveter @ 4 feet. Add the Lobos in , who are going to jump on you from the opening tipoff and it's not a good combination.

Let's see what this looks like in action. Another team from Missouri showed up recently to play them and the results were typical. Missouri St lost to the Lobos by 16 points. MSU is a pretty good team(B+) but they never had a chance. There were down about 16 in the opening minutes and were never able to recover. UNM knocked them on their heels and the were out of sync for the rest of the game....turnovers, missed shots etc. This is not unusual as the Lobos have a winning percentage at home of about 82% dating back 45 years.

So what does all this mean? Does this mean we have an 82 % chance of losing? Heck no. Should you be nervous? Probably. So what do we have going for us. Well for starters, UNM is in the Mountain West conf....a conference RM coached in for many years. He is quite familar with the building. He will know how to prepare our team. In addition, even with our soft schedule , we have played some stiff competition. After all, we won the tourny in Anaheim that UNM also played in. We also will throw more defense at them than they are use to seeing. But I believe our biggest advantage is...............we are the better team. If we play our game and don't get rattled....we win. Easier said than done though. If I were coach, I would tell the team to play from opening tipoff as though there were only 3 minutes left in the game and it was tied. Focus, in the opening minutes, will be so important. If we start missing 3's in the beginning it will be difficult to come back.

UNM can be beaten at The Pit. NMSU, a good team (even though they got bombed last night) did it and they are not as good as the Bills. One thing that will come of this game, win or lose, it will make us a better team.

If we focus....we win.

Go Bills

Great post, Wiz - agree 100% - love the analysis & history lesson

[DuckFayton]

A great comparison of this thread to New Mexico's "Scouting Report" http://thelobolair.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32889 , They go on and on about RM's weight. Classy.

[AlumniFan]

Bills by 19 and it's never really that close - we shock the sh!t out of the Lobos at the Pit. Evans scores 20 with a double double.

[Billsrmajic]

A great comparison of this thread to New Mexico's "Scouting Report" http://thelobolair.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32889 , They go on and on about RM's weight. Classy.

Besides the comments about Rick, those comments are pretty accurate. They know what to expect after playing Utah for 10 years when Rick was there.

[Pistol]

A great comparison of this thread to New Mexico's "Scouting Report" http://thelobolair.c...ead.php?t=32889 , They go on and on about RM's weight. Classy.

Ugh. Reading other forums makes me appreciate Billikens.com so much more. Those pictures in the signature line are incredibly annoying. Not to mention the color scheme. What a headache.

[slufanskip]

The op is clueless. We don't have a guard who is an offensive juggernaut? Regardless of scoring averages KM is our best offensive weapon. With so many other capable scorers he's taken on more of a true pg role and has done a great job.

A big center and a bunch of white guys? Really? 5 out of our 9 players playing double digit minutes per game are black.