Here are some extra notes, quotes, tweets, video and whatever else I could empty out of the old notebook after Friday night’s 81-79 Lobos overtime win over Boise State in the Pit:
Nobody is stopping Mashburn…
Jamal Mashburn Jr. on Friday night scored a season-high 25 points, hit all three of his free throw attempts, tied a season high hitting four 3-pointers and also tied a season high in rebounds at seven.
But, with Mashburn, it’s all about that scoring.
25 points for Jamal Mashburn, Jr. as he opens the scoring in overtime. #GoLobos
Watch on @FS1 pic.twitter.com/qMbIjJw437— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) January 21, 2023
The Mountain West’s scoring leader has been on a tear of late — one that pretty much started once league play started Dec. 28 against the Colorado State Rams.
He’s now scored 20 or more points in four consecutive games and six of the last seven and the two times in his past eight games he didn’t reach 20 points, he scored 19 in each of those.
Opening the night with the Mashburn midrange. #GoLobos
Watch on @FS1 pic.twitter.com/3bxmJSyUBq— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) January 21, 2023
Here are the scoring totals of his past eight games (starting with the Dec. 28 CSU game):
• 19
• 20
• 22
• 19
• 24*
• 22
• 20
• 25
*Nonconference game vs. Oral Roberts.
And here are some scoring bullet points for Mashburn here to try and wrap your head around:
• Scoring average on season: 18.6 ppg (1st in Mountain West)
• Mountain West games only: 21.0 points (1st)
• Past eight games (7 MWC, 1 nonconference): 21.4 ppg
• Consecutive games scoring in double-figures: 41 (Longest active streak in the Mountain West, 2nd longest active streak in the country)
• Career points: 1,191 (237 at Minnesota; 954 at UNM)
• Points away from scoring 1,000 as a Lobo: 46
The gamer…
Here is the gamer I filed from the Pit’s media room after Friday night’s game…
A number to know: 20.8%
Boise State shot 20.8% from 3-point range on Friday night in the Pit, hitting just 5-of-24 from beyond the arc, the last being a rather painful Tyson Degenhart triple that force overtime.
Welp…
Tyson Degenhart 3 ties it, 72-72, in the Pit.
1 second left in regulation. pic.twitter.com/TZH984L8av
— Geoff Grammer (@GeoffGrammer) January 21, 2023
But as painful as that 3-pointer was for the Lobos, the reality is not only is UNM on a hot streak defending the 3, it also snapped Boise State’s hot streak hitting 3s.
3-point FGs for Boise State:
Previous 4 games: 45-of-94 (47.9%)
Friday: 5-of-24 (20.8%)
—
Season averages: 8.2-of-22.2 (36.7%)
For the Lobos, they haven’t allowed a team to hit double-digit 3-pointers since Dec. 10 (UTSA) and have now held their past four opponents at 25% or under from beyond the arc:
• 9-36 3FG (25.0%) — Oral Roberts, Jan. 9
• 6-24 3FG (25.0%) — San Diego State, Jan. 14
• 6-23 3FG (18.8%) — San Jose State, Jan. 17
• 5-24 3FG (20.8%) — Boise State, Friday
—
UNM opponents on season: 7.4-of-19.4 (38.1%)
Through 20…
Friday’s win for the Lobos moves the team to 18-2 overall, tying for the second best 20-game start in the program’s 119 seasons of playing basketball.
Here is a look at the best starts through 20 games in UNM Lobo basketball history:
• 19-1 — 1967-68
• 18-2 — 2022-23
• 18-2 — 1977-78
• 18-2 — 1964-65
• 17-3 — 5 times (last to do it was 2012-13)
A number to know: 5
The Lobos have five Mountain West wins through seven league games, matching their MWC win total from last season through 18 games.
What about that finish, though?
My game story linked above went blow by blow over the final moments in regulation and the final moments of overtime, explaining the play, what UNM thought would happen, what Boise State says happened, the pass from freshman Donovan Dent and the finish by Morris Udeze.
So here, all I’m doing is simply reposting a couple videos of it:
FINAL: New Mexico 81, Boise State 79 (OT) pic.twitter.com/quaUfN7ec7
— Geoff Grammer (@GeoffGrammer) January 21, 2023
And from the Fox Sports team that broadcast the game on FS1:
MO CALLED GAME!!!! #GoLobos
Watch on @FS1 pic.twitter.com/TudaVZm4sd— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) January 21, 2023
Busting that Broncos’ D…
The Boise State Broncos entered Friday night’s game ranked No. 1 in defensive efficiency in Mountain West play and they boasted an impressive No. 10 ranking in the nation (out of 363 Division I teams) in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com.
Well, the Lobos scored the most on Boise State this season (81) and at the end of regulation had scored the third most (72).
Top point totals vs. Boise State this season:
• 81* — New Mexico, in Albuquerque (Friday)
• 74 — Nevada in Reno (Dec. 28)
• 73 — Santa Clara in Santa Clara (Dec. 22)
*Overtime game. UNM had 72 points at the end of regulation.
And, since the Lobos hardly shoot any 3-pointers, and tied their season low for free throws made, to get there they made a whopping 27 2-point field goals — the most made by any Boise State opponent since Feb. 19, 2021, a span of 61 games.
Here are all the times the Broncos have allowed 25 or more 2-pointers since the start of the 2019-20 season (115 games):
• 29 2FG — Utah State (Feb. 19, 2021)
• 29 2FG — Oregon (Nov. 9, 201919
• 27 2FG — New Mexico (Friday)
• 26 2FG — Utah State (Feb. 17, 2021)
• 26 2FG — Tulsa (Dec. 11, 2019)
• 26 2FG — New Mexico (Dec. 4, 2019)
Shaver vs. House…
Former high school teammates Marcus Shaver Jr. and Jaelen House have now squared off twice in college, both times in the Pit. Here’s a look at their head-to-head stat lines:
JAN. 15, 2022 (The Pit)
• Shaver: 18 pts, 6 rebs, 2 asts, 1 TOs, 3 stls
• House: 21 pts, 3 rebs, 7 sats, 4 TOs, 1 block, 2 stls
• GAME: Boise State 71, New Mexico 63
FRIDAY (The Pit)
• Shaver: 10 pts, 8 rebs, 4 asts, 3 TOs, 3 stls
• House: 16 pts, 1 reb, 4 asts, 1 TO
• GAME: New Mexico 81, Boise State 79 (OT)
House in the lane and its a 6-0 run for a three-point lead!! #GoLobos
Watch on @FS1 pic.twitter.com/TurSGjgYcc— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) January 21, 2023
More on House…
In case you missed it Thursday, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association unveiled its 50-player midseason watch list for the Oscar Robertson Player of the Year trophy.
Jaelen House was the only Mountain West player to make the cut.
Fifty standout players – including four past All-Americans and last season’s winner – headline our Midseason Watch List, as selected by the @USBWA https://t.co/b2fKAzRjSp pic.twitter.com/FwgxyNn3Xl
— Oscar Robertson Trophy (@TheBigOTrophy) January 19, 2023
A number to know: 0
Jaelen House had zero steals on Friday.
He also had zero in Tuesday’s win over San Jose State. He’s had three games this season without a steal.
And still, his league-leading average of 2.8 steals per game is well above the next closest player (2.3 by UNLV’s Luis Rodriguez), but he’s falling off pace a bit of what was once looking like a slam dunk program record in steals for a season.
He’s at 55 for the season, meaning he doesn’t need a steal the rest of the season and his 2022-23 campaign will rank 16th all-time on UNM’s single-season steals list.
But if he is to get back to hitting just his current average of 2.8 steals per game over the next 12 games (11 regular season games and just one Mountain West Tournament game), he can still get to 89 steals on the season, which would break the record.
UNM single-season steal record:
1. Hunter Greene (1986-87) — 84
2. Kelvin Scarborough (1984-85) — 80
3. Kelvin Scarborough (1986-87) — 78
4. Phil Smith (1983-84) — 77
5. Hunter Greene (1987-88) — 70
—
*House’s current pace — 89
Jo cleaning up the boards…
Lobo forward Josiah Allick had a monster night on the boards, pulling down a career-high 18 rebounds (6 offensive, 12 defensive). It was the most rebounds by a Lobo since Carlton Bragg had 18 against McNeese State on Nov. 16, 2019.
It was the most against a conference opponent since Bragg pulled down 20 boards against Wyoming on March 9, 2019.
Second chance points off hustle plays!! #GoLobos
Watch on @FS1 pic.twitter.com/RzjTBY5oGQ— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) January 21, 2023
But it wasn’t just about the boards for Allick. He also had eight points, with two of them getting the Pit crowd going early…
JOSIAH ALLICK!!!!! #GoLobos
Watch on @FS1 pic.twitter.com/j9dUcn2x6h— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) January 21, 2023
But back to those rebounds. Allick’s big game got him right back into a tight race for the Mountain West lead with his frontcourt mate, Morris Udeze.
MWC Rebounding Leaders:
1. Morris Udeze, UNM 8.5 reb/game
2. Josiah Allick, UNM 8.4 reb/game
While Allick grabbed all the boards on Friday, Udeze just had five, snapping his double-double streak at four games.
Broncos bucked…
With the win over Boise State, Richard Pitino has now beat seven of the other 10 Mountain West teams since taking the job at UNM.
MWC teams Pitino has yet to beat:
• Fresno State
• Nevada
• Utah State
Getting over the overtime slump…
Getting a win in overtime for the Lobos on Friday was big for the season and in the moment, of course, but it also ended a long run of struggles for the team when getting into extra time.
The last win for the Lobos in overtime was in 2018.
• W — Friday: UNM 81, Boise State 79 (OT)
• L — Jan. 8, 2022: Utah State 90, UNM 87 (OT)
• L — Dec. 6, 2021: NMSU 78, UNM 76 (OT)
• L — Feb. 17, 2021: Wyoming 83, UNM 74 (OT)
• L — Jan. 28, 2021: Fresno State 64, UNM 62 (OT)
• W — March 3, 2018: UNM 95, Fresno State 86 (OT)
Speaking of streaks…
Longest active win streaks among Mountain West teams:
4 — New Mexico
3 — Air Force
1 — San Diego State
1 — Utah State
Attendance…
The announced attendance for Friday night’s Boise State State at UNM game in the Pit: 14,566
— Eric Romero (@evromer1) January 21, 2023
And, as mentioned up high in the game story, this was as loud or probably louder an atmosphere as the sold-out UNLV game in the Pit of a couple weeks ago.
That was the loudest building I have ever been in. Thank you Lobo fans! #GoLobos
— Richard Pitino (@LoboCoachPitino) January 21, 2023
And for those scoring at home…
Avg. home attendance in MWC games
1. New Mexico (14,181)
2. San Diego State (12,337)
3. Boise State (9,924)
4. Utah State (7,478)
5. Nevada (7,109)
6. UNLV (6,051)
7. Fresno State (4,965)
8. Colorado State (4,618)
9. Wyoming (4,449)
10. San Jose State (2,396)
11. Air Force (1,474)
Up next…
MONDAY: New Mexico at Nevada, 7 p.m., Lawlor Events Center (Reno, Nev.), CBS Sports Network, 770 AM/96.3 FM
The Lobos vs. Steve Alford and Craig Neal get their first of two matchups this season.
Nevada, and those two former Lobo head coaches, make just their second return to the Pit in just a couple weeks on Feb. 7 for another late start (8:30 p.m. on FS1).
“It may not be popular, but I have a high, high level of respect for Coach Alford and even Noodles for what they were able to do. What an amazing run (at UNM),” Pitino said. “But it’s just business as usual. It’s not really about who the coach is or who the team is.”
Though this is the fourth year Alford has been head coach of the Wolf Pack, Nevada has only played in the Pit once in that time on Feb. 18, 2020, in an 88-74 Wolf Pack win.
In 2021, COVID meant the Lobos “home” games were played in Lubbock. In 2022, the unbalanced Mountain West schedule had Nevada as the league’s only team not paying a visit to the Pit, though the two did play last season in the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas.
Oh, and there’s this.
Steve Alford’s record vs. the UNM Lobos:
• 2019-20: 2-0
• 2020-21: 2-0
• 2021-22: 2-0
—
TOTAL: 6-0
VIDEO: Pitino, Allick and Jenkins…
Here are the postgame media sessions with UNM’s Richard Pitino, Josiah Allick and K.J. Jenkins from late Friday night…
Speaking of video, this happened…
There were no guests on my quick pregame video preview on Friday night (still recovering from having Snake on last game), but if you want to hear about what I said before the game, here you go…
There were no guests on my quick pregame video preview tonight (still recovering from having Snake on last game), but here’s a look at the Facebook Live video I posted from the Pit on Friday night… https://t.co/oMGgqIZIJX pic.twitter.com/nokoyNFdYq
— Geoff Grammer (@GeoffGrammer) January 21, 2023
Here’s the direct link to FB video: PREGAME LIVE (JAN. 20)
Plus/minus…
Here are the Lobos’ plus/minus numbers from Friday’s game with minutes played in parenthesis:
+7 Jamal Mashburn Jr. (42:52)
+5 Jaelen House (35:46)
+4 Sebastian Forsling (11:38)
+3 K.J. Jenkins (15:15)
+2 Josiah Allick (42:18)
0 Birima Seck (2:36)
-2 Donovan Dent (21:19)
-4 Morris Udeze (33:20)
-5 Javonte Johnson (19:56)
Line ’em up…
The Lobos had 16 unique lineup combinations in Friday’s game and played nine players. Boise State had 12 lineup combinations and played nine players.
The Lobos have used the same starting lineup in 19 of 20 games played this season (the lone exception being the one game wing Javonte Johnson was out vs. Oral Roberts with an elbow injury).
Here’s a look at a few notable UNM lineups from Friday’s game, starting with the starters:
The usual 5⃣ for late night hoops. #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/LaFSmVJ2B7
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) January 21, 2023
STARTING LINEUP (and WORST LINEUP)
• Who: Jaelen House/Jamal Mashburn Jr./Javonte Johnson/Josiah Allick/Morris Udeze
• Point differential: -6 (20-26)
• Time on court: 14:43
• NOTE: The Lobos starting five had been on a good run of solid time on the floor together. In fact, several times, the starters were the best group of 5 of the game. Friday, it took some bench players to get on the floor and step up to turn around the -6 from the starters, who only managed to score 0.76 points per possession against the Broncos.
BEST LINEUP
• Who: Jaelen House/Jamal Mashburn Jr./K.J. Jenkins/Josiah Allick/Sebastian Forsling
• Point differential: +11 (13-2)
• Time on court: 4:54
• NOTE: Well, this is a new one. I don’t recall even seeing this lineup on the floor together before, but a plus-11 from a group in a 2-point overtime win is huge. And outscoring the Broncos 13-2 in 4:54 tells me this group was defending like crazy, and that is what I remember about Forsling’s minutes on the floor on Friday night.
Around the Mountain…
The Broncos and Lobos were the only game in the Mountain West on Friday night with four more coming on Sunday and then a spread out six weeknight games ahead, including the Lobos with a Monday night then Friday night game:
FRIDAY
• New Mexico 81, Boise State 79 (OT)
SATURDAY
• Colorado State at Wyoming, 2 p.m. MT (FS1)
• UNLV at Fresno State, 3 p.m. PT/4 p.m. MT (CBS Sports Network)
• San Jose State at Utah State, 4 p.m. MT (TheMW)
• San Diego State at Air Force, 8 p.m. MT (CBS Sports Network)
MONDAY
• New Mexico at Nevada, 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT (CBS Sports Network)
TUESDAY
• Fresno State at Boise State, 7 p.m. MT (FS1)
• Air Force at San Jose State, 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT (TheMW)
• Wyoming at UNLV, 8 p.m. PT/9 p.m. MT (CBS Sports Network)
WEDNESDAY
• Utah State at San Diego State, 8 p.m. PT/9 p.m. MT (CBS Sports Network)
FRIDAY
• Air Force at New Mexico, 8 p.m. MT (TheMW)
Mountain West standings…
Here are the Mountain West standings through Friday night’s games:
5-1 San Diego State
5-2 Boise State
5-2 Nevada
5-2 New Mexico
4-2 Utah State
3-3 Air Force
3-3 San Jose State
2-4 Fresno State
2-5 Colorado State
1-5 UNLV
0-6 Wyoming
Stats and stats…
Here is the postgame stat sheet I tweeted on Friday night: New Mexico 81, Boise State 79 (OT)
Final stat sheet: UNM 81, BSU 79 (OT) pic.twitter.com/GyZ1YGFOTd
— Geoff Grammer (@GeoffGrammer) January 21, 2023
And here is the digital version of the stats: New Mexico 81, Boise State 79 (OT)
Grammer’s Guesses…
Of course the Guesses got the game wrong. That’s what I do.
I picked UNM to cover a -2.5 point spread, and they won by just two. So I drop to 14-20-1 on the season.
My daughter’s #TeamCoin coin flip picks went with Boise State and that gets her a win. She’s now 12-22-1 on the season.
Grammer’s Guesses for Friday night (a sad 14-19-1 on season):
• New Mexico -2.5My daughter’s #TeamCoin coin flip pick (an even sadder 11-22-1 on season):
• Boise State +2.5Our apologies in advance to both teams as it’s clear with these picks neither will win.
— Geoff Grammer (@GeoffGrammer) January 21, 2023
