♦ WHEN IT COMES to scheduling, there is some luck involved in getting good teams on the non-conference schedule. These schedules are made up 2-3 years in advance. Good teams today may not be in 2-3 years. Injuries, transfers, etc play a large role. The university hires a coach to handle this task and his future is determined on the schedule he prepares and how well he performs against this schedule. In regards to those who take shots at the Aggies without any data, let me provide some. The Aggies RPI today is 70, higher than 8 of 15 non-conference teams on UNM schedule, only 5 non-conference foes have an higher RPI than the Aggies. The average RPI of all 15 non-conference games is 100, which tells me the coach is doing a pretty darn good job of scheduling, including the ‘charity’ Aggie matchups.

— An Aggie and Lobo Fan

The Aggies’ RPI was 69 entering this week; realtimerpi.com had them 64th on Thursday. — Randy, Journal

♦ I DON’T MEAN to give Dave Gottlieb any ammo in his quest to ban high altitude games in the NCAA, but SDSU is 1 (Nevada) and 4 (WYO, AF, CSU & UNM) when playing at 5000 ft or more. and 19-4 below that elevation. I have a couple of friends that have renewed their Journal subscription since Geoff Grammer started covering the Lobos too. We love his detailed analysis and in-epth coverage with too many outstanding articles to mention.

— Dale Kennedy / Alpha Fan

♦ JUST FIGURED out how the MWC is the #2 rated conference in the RPI ratings. It is based on your record in non-conference games played. They should be rated #1 because they only played 113 non-conference games, the record of 87-26 is impressive, but when you look at the big boys who have won more games than you played, it shows the rpi ratings are a joke. The Big 10 won 121 games of 152, the Big East won 151 of 185 games, the ACC won 114 of 151, and the Atlantic 10 played 220 non-conference games winning 143. The MWC conference has 1 team in the top 25. The Big10 has 5, Big East has 6, the Big 12 has 3, so don’t even go there that you are a powerful league. Don’t live on the rpi, because the bpi will be taken into account just as much by the committee. In the bpi unm is #15, sdsu is 25 and csu is #26.

— The realist

♦ THE YEAR of the Lobo: #2 RPI, #3 strength of schedule, another MWC Championship, ranked #14 nationally & climbing, with a possibility of a (#1) NCAA seed, one of the best Coaching Staffs in the Country, with a pack of lobos that plays in the home of champions, aka the PIT. PRICELESS !

— NM Native Lobo

♦ THE MWC’S Dan Butterly was quoted in the Journal with the following regarding the MWC basketball tournament in Las Vegas: “I would tell you New Mexico is one of the strongest teams the Mountain West has in terms of fan support for the tournament.” ONE of the strongest? How about THE strongest.… as in more fans than the rest of the conference teams combined. The MWC doesn’t want to say anything to upset the other conference members, especially its new favorite child, Boise State…But the reality is that if New Mexico was not in the conference, this tournament’s men’s and women’s event would be a break-even effort, at best.

— Joseph

♦ KENDALL WILLIAMS has a bad attitude? That’s a ludicrous statement. I guess people with inferiority complexes really do feel threatened by those of us who carry ourselves with confidence.

— RIDIC, DUKE CITY
— This article appeared on page D2 of the Albuquerque Journal