Chemistry between Donovan Dent and JT Toppin has been bright spot for Lobos so far

Despite already having lost six games to injury to their dynamic preseason all-conference backcourt (five games missed by point guard Jaelen House and another by shooting guard Jamal Mashburn Jr.), the new-look UNM Lobos are sitting at 5-1 and coming off three consecutive games scoring 90 or more points.

Considering big minutes this season have already been played by one returning sophomore (Donovan Dent), three Division I transfers (Nelly Junior Joseph, Jemarl Baker Jr. and Mustapha Amzil) and three freshmen (JT Toppin, Tru Washington and redshirt freshman Quinton Webb), that the Lobos are one of the highest-scoring teams in Division I basketball thus far is fairly remarkable.

More specifically, the fact that two of those players — Dent and Toppin, who on Monday was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Week for the second consecutive week — have shown an on-court chemistry usually reserved for third- or fourth-year teammates and basically led the Lobos to their fast start has been somewhat remarkable.

“When you watch the NBA, like 90% of it is high ball screens and nobody really knows how to stop it. And those two guys (Dent and Toppin) are really, really good at it,” Lobos third-year coach Richard Pitino told the Journal after one of the team’s three wins in last week’s Ball Dawgs Classic in Henderson, Nev.

“JT catches everything. He’s got terrific hands. We saw it in practice with a lot of what he does. Donovan comes off of these ball screens and he’s looking to pass. He gets two (defenders) on the ball. When he gets two on the ball, good things are gonna happen. JT is a perfect kind of pick and roll guy and Donovan’s as good of a guy in the country in passing off it.”

Through six games, the super sophomore Dent is averaging a team-high 18.5 points per game and 6.8 assists (sixth best in the country).

Toppin, the four-star recruit out of Dallas, has burst onto the college scene averaging 14.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and is shooting a staggering 73.5% from the floor, fourth best in the country for players who have played at least 75% of their team’s games this season and average at least five field goals per game.

Each has posted double-doubles this season — Dent an 18-point, 11-assist gem vs. Rice last week and Toppin with a 27-point, 11 rebound game vs. Toledo and 15-point, 10 rebound effort vs. UT Arlington.

And the two have played a big part in the other’s breakout season so far.

Of Toppin’s 36 made field goals, 23 have come off assists. Dent has been the assist man on 14 of those — the highest number of his 41 assists he has dished out to any Lobo teammate so far.

“I think it mostly starts in practice,” Dent said of the one-two punch the two have become. “He’s he’s figuring out how to catch my passes and when I’m gonna throw them. It’s kind of hard sometimes — I throw a lot of crazy passes, but he does a really good job of catching and finishing them.”

Added Toppin on the chemistry between the two on the court: “We got it in practice, and ever since then, it’s just kinda stuck. I know when he’s going to pass me the ball. We make eye contact and I just know. We make that connection.”

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: While Toppin won his second consecutive Mountain West Player of the Week honor on Monday, Colorado State’s Isaiah Stevens, the 2020 MW Freshman of the Year and this season’s Preseason Mountain West Player of the Year, was named the league’s player of the week.

Stevens last week led the Rams to two wins in the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City — 86-74 over Boston College and 69-48 over then-No. 7 Creighton.

Stevens, selected the event’s MVP, averaged 19 points, 7.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 58.6% from the field.

POLL POSITION: Three Mountain West teams saw their name in Monday’s Associated Press Top 25 men’s basketball poll — one ranked and a pair in the “others receiving votes” section.

After blowing the doors off then-No. 7 Creighton last week, Colorado State (6-0) went from unranked (and appearing at No. 25 on just one voter’s ballot) in last week’s poll all the way to No. 20 in Monday’s new poll. The Rams received a high vote of No. 9 on the ballot of Dave Borges of the New Haven (Connecticut) Register, and did not appear on 17 of 63 voter ballots.

San Diego State (5-1 entering Monday night’s late game against Division II Point Loma) received 100 points, up from 77 last week, and sits two spots outside the rankings (No. 25 Oklahoma has 120 points).

For the second straight week, the Nevada Wolf Pack (4-0) appeared on just one voter ballot, but jumped from 1 point to 6 thanks to Dylan Sinn of the Fort Wayne (Indiana) Journal Gazette moving them from No. 25 to No. 20. Nevada did not play a game last week.

Other teams of note in the rankings: Mississippi State, coached by former NM State coach Chris Jans, is 6-0 and ranked No. 22; Liberty, coached by former New Mexico coach Ritchie McKay, is 6-0 and received seven points in this week’s poll, sitting 13 spots out of the rankings.

ONE MORE RAM NOTE: OK, one more note on the Rams’ fast start to the hoops season. Colorado State is one of eight schools in the country with both men’s and women’s basketball teams still undefeated, joining Baylor, BYU, Houston, Miami (Fla.), Mississippi State, South Carolina and TCU.