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Wednesday, October 15, 2008

UNM Picked for Middle of Pack

By Mark Smith
Journal Staff Writer
       LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Expectations may be sky-high in Albuquerque for the upcoming University of New Mexico men's basketball season.
    Around the league, however, it's a different story.
    The Lobos, coming off a 24-9 season and loaded with a stellar freshman class, were picked to come in only fifth in the Mountain West Conference preseason poll, released Tuesday.
    "It's just a number," says UNM forward Daniel Faris. "And we're not really concerned about where we're picked to finish — we're concerned with how we finish. And we're going to have a good season."
    Maybe so, but the Lobos might need a great season to win what should be one of the strongest fields in the league's 10-year history. The nine teams combine to return 31 of 45 starters, according to the league media guide.
    Defending conference tournament champion UNLV (27-8) received 16 of 24 first-place votes and is tabbed the favorite, while defending regular-season champion Brigham Young (27-8) got five first-place votes and was second.
    San Diego State (20-13), which returns its entire front line — including preseason all-league pick Lorrenzo Wade — got the remaining three first-place votes and is third. Utah (18-15), which returns four starters and beat UNM in the opening round of last year's MWC tournament, is fourth.
    "You can throw five or six teams in a hat, and any of those could win this league," says UNLV coach Lon Kruger, whose team is led by preseason co-Player of the Year Wink Adams. "This is the strongest and most balanced the league has been in my five years here."
    BYU coach Dave Rose, who has been in the league as a head coach or assistant all 10 seasons, says "it very well could be the best year ever for the league. What you have is so much experience, and that will lead to very competitive games. Experience is a key to breaking through on the road, so you're likely going to have the most competitive games yet this year."
    Wyoming, led by preseason all-conference guard Brandon Ewing, is tabbed sixth, while Air Force is seventh, Colorado State eighth and TCU ninth.
    The Horned Frogs are the only team with a new coach. Jim Christian took over for fired Neil Dougherty. The league had five new coaches last year.
    "We all have a lot more familiarity with each other now," says UNM coach Steve Alford, who starts his second year with the Lobos. "This is a very, very good basketball league and is only getting stronger."
    Alford says he understands why the Lobos were tabbed fifth.
    "UNLV and BYU, with the success they had last year, are the obvious choices as the top two," he said. "San Diego State and Utah have just about everyone back and we have a lot of young players."
    BYU's Lee Cummard, who was the league co-Player of the Year along with UNM's J.R. Giddens last season, joined Adams as the other preseason co-Player of the Year.
    Utah's 7-foot-1 Luke Nevill was the other member of the five-man preseason first team.
    "Rebound — he needs to rebound, rebound, rebound," Utah coach Jim Boylen said, when asked what it will take for his big senior to make it to the NBA next year.
    New Mexico's Phillip McDonald, rated as one of the top players in Texas, was named preseason Freshman of the Year, while UNLV's Tre'Von Willis — a sophomore transfer from Memphis — was top newcomer.
    UNLV has finished second to BYU each of the past two regular seasons before winning the tournament title on its home floor both years. Adams says he likes the pressure of being the preseason favorite, "because that's where we want to be at the end of the year. We've come close the last two years, but we have to find a way to get over the hump. I think we will this season."MWC MEn
       

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