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Thursday, March 13, 2008

Working On Dance Steps

By Mark Smith
Journal Staff Writer
    LAS VEGAS, Nev.— This could come as a shock, considering their popularity in the Land of Enchantment. But neither Steve Alford nor J.R. Giddens were invited to participate on Monday's season debut of "Dancing With the Stars".
    Like they care.
    Alford, Giddens and the rest of the University of New Mexico Lobos are eyeing quite a different nationally televised dance, which also happens to begin competition next week.
    "I don't think I could compete on 'Dancing With the Stars'. I just don't have the moves,'' Giddens, the Lobos' 6-foot-5 senior star, said Wednesday. "I do I think I have the moves to compete on another stage, and so do my teammates. We're looking forward to that dance. But we have to take care of business here first, one game at a time."
    Unlike the aforementioned TV show, college basketball's Big Dance has yet to extend most of its invitations.
    UNM, however, could RSVP on Saturday by winning three games here in the Mountain West Conference tournament— starting tonight against Utah.
    "We won't talk at all about games we'll have to win (to make) the NCAA Tournament," says Alford, UNM's first-year coach. "I feel our regular season speaks for itself. ... Our whole focus is we're three games away from trying to win one of two championships that are awarded in our league every year. The first step is to get by Utah."
    The Lobos (24-7, 11-5), who have rarely been out of step this season, hope to display some of their best footwork against the Utes (16-13, 7-9). But if the Lobos stumble, it could cost them a spot in the NCAA's Grand Ball.
    "That is a real possibility," says league commissioner Craig Thompson. "... I think the biggest game on their schedule is (tonight), the neutral-court game against Utah."
    New Mexico appears to be a loose and confident bunch heading into the tournament. It has won eight of its last nine and held its past two opponents to under 100 points combined.
    "I think New Mexico is playing the best defense in the league," says Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds, whose team will face San Diego State today.
    The Lobos have yet to really get star-struck this season. Then again, they've been hanging around a lot of B-list entertainers.
    The MWC isn't exactly a national darling, and while three teams enter the day looking like strong NCAA Tournament candidates, much could change.
    But Alford says it shouldn't.
    "I just like what our team has done," he said Wednesday. "I look at these other teams on the bubble, and there aren't but one or two with 24 wins and who have been as consistent as we have been."
    Two of the Lobos' 24 wins have come against the Utes, but they were struggles. UNM needed overtime— and a last-second missed jumper by Utah in regulation— to win 77-67 on Jan. 22 in the Pit. The Lobos then escaped 72-71 on Feb. 23 in Salt Lake City, ending an 18-game losing streak there.
    Do the victories give UNM a mental advantage? Or will the Utes be extra motivated."
    "I don't know who the edge would go to," says Utah coach Jim Boylen. "Obviously, we feel we can play with them and have been right there. ... It will come down to loose balls and effort plays and toughness."
    The Utes' lineup will probably look a little different today than in the teams' first two meetings. Boylen, who has used senior guard Johnnie Bryant off the bench all season, has taken 7-1 center Luke Nevill out of the starting lineup as well.
    However, the two, who average 29.2 points a game between them, will be used early and often.
    "Those are the main guys you've got to prepare for when you face Utah," Alford says. "It doesn't matter if they are starting or not."
    If the Lobos win, they will play in the semifinals at 10 p.m. (MDT) on Friday. The championship game is set for 5 p.m. Saturday.
    Today
    MWC tourney quarterfinals: Utah vs. New Mexico, 9:30 p.m. TV: CSTV, The Mtn. Radio: KKOB-AM (770)