After consecutive losses, UNM looks to reset against Air Force in the Pit

The Lobos have no intention of casual stroll to the Mountain West finish line.

After suffering back-to-back losses for the first time this season, albeit in back-to-back road games in which they were underdogs facing teams fighting to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, the Lobos now find themselves in a position they haven’t been in for at least a decade.

They enter March — the month of college basketball madness — alone in first place of the Mountain West standings.

“We’ve got three (games) to go, two at home, obviously, one on the road with Nevada (on Tuesday),” UNM coach Richard Pitino said. “And if you take a deep breath, we’re 22-6. We’re 14-3 in the league. Pretty darn good in a terrific League.

“But learn from all the mistakes that were made (Tuesday night at San Diego State). Humbly, watch the film. Get back to work.”

Back to work for the first place Lobos (14-3 MW) starts Saturday at noon in the Pit against last-place Air Force (4-24, 1-16).

The game marks the first time since 2013 that the Lobos entered March alone in first place in the Mountain West standings (they won the regular season and tournament title that season). In 2014, they entered March tied for first, finishing second in the regular season then winning the conference tournament.

UNM is favored by 22½ points on Saturday, three weeks after having beat the Falcons by 35 at the U.S. Air Force Academy. The Lobos may not have much to gain in the rematch, but there is an opportunity to reset.

The Lobos have been at their best this season when their defense quickly turns into offense, leading to fast break points.

The stat sheet shows SDSU outscored the Lobos 16-2 in fast-break points Tuesday. The Lobos, who dropped from first to third in the nation in fast-break points after the game, didn’t get out and run as much as they would have liked, though the “2” on the stat sheet wasn’t entirely reliable.

“As much as maybe it says they had two fast-break points, I think they had more than that,” SDSU coach Brian Dutcher said after the game. “There were times we couldn’t find them. They are dynamic on the break. They can get to the rim. They find shooters. ... The first key to the game was make it a halfcourt game. Don’t let them score on the fast break.”

Three weeks ago, Air Force coach Joe Scott said after falling to the Lobos that they had spent the majority of their preparation for UNM emphasizing not making lazy passes on the perimeter — the ones Tru Washington, C.J. Noland and Donovan Dent in particular, he noted, regularly steal and turn into a layup at the other end.

The Lobos had 21 fast-break points and 21 points off 18 Air Force turnovers in the game.

As the Lobos try to get back to their winning ways this final week of the regular season, they know it starts with defense, which in turn will take care of the offense.

“We weren’t playing physical and we weren’t playing defense how we usually do, to get the guys running,” Lobo freshman forward Jovan Milicevic told the Journal on Tuesday night in San Diego. “Not a lot of fast-break points for us. Usually, we’re a fast-paced team, so that was a big, big impact for us.”