Emptying the Notebook: Broncos bring out the best in Borovicanin

Here are a few extra notes, quotes, stats, videos, trends and other odds & ends I emptied out of the notebook after Wednesday's 86-78 UNM Lobos road loss at Boise State:

Another big Boise game for Borovicanin...

The Lobos' streak of four-consecutive Mountain West Player of the Week awards, spread out among three different Lobo players (Donovan Dent, Nelly Junior Joseph and Tru Washington), will come to an end this coming Monday.

But the way the team has been spreading the wealth and having different players step up at different times and in different games continued Wednesday, even in an 86-78 loss at Boise State.

While the focus for Boise State's defense was on stopping Donovan Dent (they didn't) and Nelly Junior Joseph (they didn't in the first half, but were much better in the second half), junior guard Filip Borovicanin just quietly managed to be the Lobos' leading scorer with a career-high 18 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting clip (4-of-4 on 2-point shots, 3-of-5 on 3-pointers).

In the first meeting with Boise State, he had 9 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and four steals.

So, over the two-game Boise State series this season, Borovicanin has looked like a star.

Borovicanin's 2-game averages vs. Boise State:

POINTS: 13.5

ASSISTS: 3.0

REBOUNDS: 7.0

STEALS: 2.0

SHOOTING: 10-13 (76.9%)

2FG: 6-6 (100%)

3FG: 4-7 (57.1%)

FT: 3-4 (75.0%)

Not bad for your sixth scoring option.

The gamer...

Here is the gamer I filed late Wednesday...

• Boise State comes up big in second half, beats UNM to split season series

Failure to launch...

For just the second time in 13 seasons as the college hoops beat writer for the Albuquerque Journal, I wasn't in person for a UNM Lobo basketball game played in the continental United States. There was a tournament in Puerto Rico in November 2014 and one in Hawaii in December 2015 that we decided not to travel to cover.

I missed a game on Jan. 22, 2022, at Wyoming after testing positive for COVID while on a two-game road trip. UNM played at Colorado State on a Wednesday (I covered the game), I tested positive on the Friday while in Fort Collins, and then drove home to Albuquerque Saturday morning in time to watch and cover the Lobos game in the afternoon while sick at home.

Then came Wednesday.

For some reason, I chose to book a flight to Boise as a same-day travel. Saving the company a couple bucks on an extra hotel night sure seemed like a good idea.

Southwest Airlines had other ideas.

... then ...

... and then ...

So, I didn't make it to Boise.

I watched the game like many of you readers, from home on CBS Sports Network.

I was lucky enough to talk with UNM coach Richard Pitino on the phone after he was on the team bus following the game and filed a game story as normal, though it and this Emptying the Notebook aren't quite as others when I was actually in the arena.

I think it should be pointed out, that the 8 Lobo basketball games I've missed, the Lobos are now 1-7 in.

By the numbers...

• 8 — Number of Lobo men's basketball games I haven't been in person for in the past 13 seasons (not counting COVID season when nobody was allowed at games)

• 1-7 — Lobos record in those games

• 1-2 — Lobos record in games I missed in Puerto Rico in November 2014

• 0-3 — Lobos record in the games I missed in Hawaii in December 2015

• 0-1 — Lobos record at Wyoming on Jan. 22, 2022

• 0-1 — Lobos record at Boise State on Wednesday

Dent was still dealin...

Lobos point guard Donovan Dent still had a very good game in the Lobos loss on Wednesday.

His stat line at Boise State:

POINTS: 17

ASSISTS: 11

TURNOVERS: 4

BLOCKS: 2

FOULS DRAWN: 10

FTs: 9-11 (81.8%)

In two games vs. Boise State this season, Dent was, well, he looked like the guy who everyone considers the frontrunner right now for Mountain West Player of the Year.

Dent's two games vs. Boise State:

POINTS: 16.5 ppg

ASSISTS: 9.0 apg

BLOCKS: 2.0 bpg

FOULS DRAWN: 14

FTs: 12-14 (85.7%)

Wednesday was Dent's fourth game of the season with 10 or more assists, making him the first Lobo in the Mountain West era (26 seasons) to do that four times in a season.

He also now has more eight-assist games than any Lobo in the 26-year Mountain West era.

And the usual updates on him climbing the all-time rankings at UNM...

UNM's all-time scoring list:

23. 1,246 — Marvin Johnson, 1977-78 (57 games)

24. 1,239 — Cameron Bairstow, 2011-14 (134 games)

25. 1,215 — Donovan Dent, 2023 - current (96 games)

26. 1,200 — Mark Walters, 2003-06 (116 games)

27. 1,169 — Roman Martinez, 2007-19 (133 games)

UNM career assists

1. Darrell McGee, 1987-90 — 684 (137 games)

—

7. David Gibson, 1995-98 — 460

8. Donovan Dent, 2023-present — 444 (96 games)

9. Willie Banks, 1989-92 — 419 (126 games)

10. Jaelen House, 2022-24 — 395 (94 games)

The streak that ended...

The Lobos' 8-game win streak came to an end on Wednesday. It was the longest conference win streak since 2014.

UNM's longest conference win streaks:

• 18 — Jan. 22, 1944 - Dec. 20, 1945 (Border Conference, over two seasons)

• 14 — Jan. 13, 2010 - March 3, 2010 (Mountain West)

• 11 — March 4, 1977 - Feb. 18, 1978 (WAC)

• 8 — Jan. 17 - Wednesday (Mountain West

• 8 — Jan. 24, 1998 - Feb. 19, 1998 (WAC)

• 8 — Feb. 10, 1990 - Jan. 3, 1991 (WAC)

The streak they wish had ended...

UNM has now lost seven consecutive games in Boise and is just 4-9 in Boise since the Broncos joined the Mountain West in the 2011-12 season.

• L, 86-78 — Wednesday

• L, 89-79 — March 2, 2024

• L, 82-77 — Feb. 22, 2023

• L, 89-52 — Dec. 23, 2020

• L, 77-53 — Dec. 21, 2020

• L, 75-61 — Feb. 23, 2020

• L, 90-62 — Jan. 3, 2018

• W, 81-70 — Jan. 17, 2017

• W, 88-83 — Jan. 30, 2016

• L, 76-65 — Feb. 24, 2015

• L, 71-70 — Feb. 12, 2014

• W, 79-74 (OT) — Jan. 16, 2013

• W, 65-49 — Feb. 4, 2012

It finally happened to them...

The Lobos have been the kings of those extended runs that change the complexion of a game.

Against the Broncos the first time these two teams played, it was a 23-2 end of the first half that just left Boise State shaking its head, shell shocked as UNM took a 48-21 lead into halftime.

There were others, like 43-15 to close at Utah State, 21-0 at Colorado State, 17-1 at Wyoming, 38-15. to close out Colorado State in the Pit.

Wednesday, a competitive first half with the Lobos leading much of the way and Boise State leading 42-39 at the break, got broken open after the break by the Broncos, and by freshman Pearson Carmichael in particular.

The Broncos led 42-41 1 minutes in the second half.

Then, senior star Tyson Degenhart got things rolling with a bucket at the 18-59 mark.

Over the next 7 minutes, 1 second of play, that 42-41 Boise State lead became a 64-45 lead for the home team.

The 22-4 run included 14 points from the freshman they call "Peanut", including three 3-pointers, one of which went on to be a 4-point play.

Carmichael, in his first career start, had a career-high 21 points and has really changed the complexion of a Boise State team that struggles on offense this season to do the one thing you pretty much need to do to win games: Score the damn ball. He's fearless and the Broncos are better now that he's a starter.

They still ran...

Offense wasn't really the problem on Wednesday. The Lobos scored 78 points, shot 50.9% from the field, had 18 assists, scored 42 points in the paint and had 21 fast break points.

Those fast break points was a point of emphasis for the Broncos to stop, or at least slow down after the Lobos had 29 of them in the first game between the two that turned into a laugher in the Pit on Jan. 17 (84-65).

The Lobos' ability to turn defense into offense in a hurry was still prevalent, despite the loss.

Most fast break pts allowed by Boise State:

• 29 — by New Mexico on Jan. 17 (the Pit)

• 21 — by New Mexico on Wednesday (ExtraMile Arena)

• 17 — by Washington State on Dec. 7 (Idaho Central Arena in Boise)

So, about that free throw defense...

We've had fun pointing out the fact that the Lobos led the nation in free throw defense recently.

In fact, as of one week ago, UNM's opponents were shooting just 64.4% from the free throw line, the lowest free throw percentage of any team's opponents among the nation's 364 Division I teams.

Then came the Lobos' collapse over the past two games defending those free throws.

SUNDAY: Utah State 13-of-16 FTs (81.2%)

WEDNESDAY: Boise State hit 26-of-32 (81.2%) FTs

If Utah State's 13-of-16 game wasn't enough, Boise State perfectly doubled it on Wednesday. And now, the Lobos have plummeted to 4th in the country in free throw defense.

More worrisome than the randomness of the back-to-back games of high free throw percentages against the Lobos (yes, it's random, just as all the bad games are), is the volume.

Boise State's 26 made free throws is the most this season for a Lobos opponent and tied for third most in the Richard Pitino era. And the 32 free throw attempts is tied for third most this season.

Most FTs made vs. UNM in Pitino era (4 seasons):

• 27 FTs — by Utah State on Feb. 1, 2023 (L, 84-73)

• 27 FTs — by Wyoming on Jan. 21, 2022 (L, 93-91)

• 27 FTs — by NM State on Nov. 30, 2021 (W, 101-94)

• 26 FTs — by Boise State on Wednesday (L, 86-78)

• 26 FTs — by Santa Clara on Dec.9, 2023 (W, 93-76)

Half the story...

UNM's eight-game win stream coincided with an seven-game streak of winning the second half. Boise State bookends that streak:

Second half scores past nine Lobo games:

Wednesday: Boise State 44, UNM 39

Sunday: UNM 46, Utah State 37

Feb. 12: UNM 42, Wyoming 28

Feb. 8: UNM 54, Air Force 29

Feb. 5: UNM 52, Colorado State 34

Feb. 1: UNM 52, Utah State 27

Jan. 25: UNM 36, UNLV 34

Jan. 20: UNM 50, Fresno State 40

Jan. 17: Boise State 44, UNM 36

Attendance...

The announced attendance of Wednesday's game between UNM and Boise State at Extra Mile Arena: 11,110

It was the second largest crowd the Lobos have played against all season:

Largest announced attendances for Lobo games away from the Pit:

• 12,310 — Madison Square Garden vs. St. John's (Nov. 17)

• 11,110 — ExtraMile Arena vs. Boise (Wednesday)

• 10,270 — Dee Glen Smith Spectum vs. Utah State (Feb. 1)

Coming next...

The Lobos will face a sold-out 12,414-seat Viejas Arena in their next game on Tuesday in San Diego.

Two for 20...

Two Boise State Broncos broke 20 points against the Lobos on Wednesday in ExtraMile Arena: Tyson Degenhart 32 and Pearson Carmichael 21. It was the first time since March 2, 2024, also against the Lobos, that the Broncos had two players score at least 20 in the dame game.

That got me wondering...

Since Boise State joined the Mountain West in the 2011-12 season, they've played the UNM Lobos 28 times.

In eight of those 28 games — better than one out of every four times they play the Lobos — two Broncos have each scored at least 20 points in the game. That's the most by any team against the Lobos since that 2011-12 season.

Wednesday: BSU 86, UNM 78 (Boise)

• Tyson Degenhart — 32

• Pearson Carmichael — 21

March 2, 2024: BSU 89, UNM 79 (Boise)

• O'Mar Stanley — 24

• Tyson Degenhart — 23

Dec. 23, 2020: BSU 89, UNM 52 (Boise)

• Derrick Alston — 22

• Max Rice — 22

Dec. 4, 2019: UNM 80, BSU 78 (the Pit)

• Justinian Jessup — 24

• Derrick Alston — 20

March. 6, 2019: UNM 73, BSU 72 (the Pit)

• Justinian Jessup — 23

• Derrick Alston — 23

Feb. 6, 2018: BSU 73, UNM 71 (the Pit)

• Christian Sengfelder — 24

• Chandler Hutchison — 23

Feb. 24, 2015: BSU 76, UNM 65 (Boise)

• Derrick Marks — 30

• Nick Duncan — 26

Jan. 18. 2015: BSU 69, UNM 50 (Albuquerque)

• Derrick Marks — 30

• Nick Duncan — 26

VIDEO: Pregame from ... NOT Boise

Here's the pregame show I did from home, not in Boise. It had a couple hundred viewers on YouTube and 2,500 views on X.

ALSO... early on the video I am talking about C.J. Noland not looking like he was going to play as he wasn't out of the locker room for warmups when I started the show and I thought he probably wasn't playing if he wasn't out of the locker room yet. Well, turns out he was sick and getting checked out by Boise State doctors, who cleared him to play. So, yes. The first part of this show is me under the impression C.J. wasn't playing and then we find out later in show he was playing.

Meanwhile, in San Jose...

The UNM Lobo women's basketball team won at San Jose State on Wednesday night. My Journal colleague Ken Sickenger has the coverage:

• Bruising win: Lobo women fight off Spartans' upset bid

Plus/minus...

Here are the plus/minus numbers for Wednesday's game with minutes in parenthesis:

NEW MEXICO

+9 Filip Borovicanin (28:23)

+5 Jovan Milicevic (27:30)

-2 Nelly Junior Joseph (35:53)

-2 Donovan Dent (37:00)

-3 C.J Noland (22:13)

-6 Kayde Dotson (3:02)

-6 Atiki Ally Atiki (4:07)

-8 Ibrahima Sacko (7:51)

-9 Braden Appelhans (7:33)

-18 C.J. Noland (22:13)

BOISE STATE

+14 Javan Buchanan (15:52)

+10 Alvaro Cardenas (39:13)

+8 O'Mar Stanley (15:59)

+8 Pearson Carmichael (30:42)

+5 R.J. Keene (23:52)

+4 Tyson Degenhart (35:18)

-2 Emmanuel Ugbo (9:45)

-2 Julian Bowie (1:42)

-5 Andrew Meadow (27:37)

Line 'em up...

The UNM Lobos played 10 players and used 14 unique lineup combinations. The Boise State Broncos played nine players and used 14 unique lineup combinations.

Here's a look at some of the Lobos lineup combinations, starting with the starters.

STARTING LINEUP and BEST LINEUP

• WHO: Donovan Dent, Tru Washington, Filip Borovicanin, Jovan Milicevic, Nelly Junior Joseph

• POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +10 (31-21)

• TIME ON COURT: 15:40

• NOTE: For the second-straight game, the starting five with freshman Jovan Milicevic in there in place of injured Mustapha Amzil, was the best lineup of the game for the Lobos, and outscored two of the best teams in the Mountain West — one in a close win over Utah State, one in an 8-point loss to Boise State. Milicevic is still best suited for a bench roll this season (it'll help him and it'll help the Lobos have something to go to off the bench, which the've been missing).

For comparison sake, the Broncos won by eight points and didn't even have a single lineup combination outscore the Lobos by 10 points. Of course it's worth noting BSU's frequent subbing patter means that while the team had 14 lineups, not one of them played more than 6:12 together.

WORST LINEUP

• WHO: Donovan Dent, C.J. Noland, Braden Appelhans, Jovan Milicevic, Nelly Junior Joseph

• POINT DIFFERENTIAL: -7 (17-24)

• TIME ON COURT: 6:40

• NOTE: This was a frantic 6 minutes, 40 seconds with this unit on the court. This group scored 2.56 points per minute, but allowed almost 3.6 points per possession. I assure you for people not familiar with the PPP (points per possession) stat: 3.6 PPP is an absurdly good total for nearly seven minutes of game play.

Meanwhile, in Logan...

Welp, I guess Utah State's over that loss in the Pit.

Around the Mountain...

There were three games Tuesday and two more on Wednesday around the Mountain West. Here are those scores and the weekend's slate of games:

TUESDAY

• Wyoming 69, Air Force 62

• Colorado State 79, Nevada 71

• San Diego State 83, Fresno State 60

WEDNESDAY

• Utah State 105, San Jose State 57

• Boise State 86, New Mexico 78

SATURDAY

• Fresno State at Air Force, noon PST/1 MST (TheMW)

• San Jose State at Wyoming, 1 PST/2 MST (TheMW)

• Boise State at Nevada, 3 PST/4 MST (FS1)

• San Diego State at Utah State, 5 PST/6 MST (CBSSN)

• Colorado State at UNLV, 7 PST/8 MST (CBSSN)

Mountain West standings...

Here are the Mountain West standings through Wednesday (85 games done, 25 remaining):

14-2 New Mexico

13-3 Utah State

11-4 San Diego State

11-4 Colorado State

10-5 Boise State

8-7 UNLV

7-8 Nevada

5-11 San Jose State

5-11 Wyoming

1-15 Fresno State

0-15 Air Force

Home/road standings...

Plus-1 for a road win, minus-1 for a home loss:

+6 New Mexico

+5 Utah State

+3 San Diego State

+3 Colorado State

+2 Boise State

+1 UNLV

0 Nevada

-3 Wyoming

-3 San Jose State

-7 Fresno State

-7 Air Force

Remaining vs. Top 5...

Here's the number of games remaining vs. teams in the top five of the Mountain West standings for each of those top five teams:

• 3 games — Utah State (vs. SDSU, at Boise St, at CSU)

• 2 games — San Diego State (at Utah State, vs. UNM)

• 2 games — Colorado State (vs. Utah State, at Boise State)

• 2 games — Boise State (vs. Utah State, vs. Colorado State)

• 1 game — New Mexico (at San Diego State)

In addition to next Tuesday's game at San Diego State, UNM also has games at Nevada and vs. UNLV, which were both final possession of the game wins for the Lobos earlier this season, and a home game vs. Air Force.

Stats and stats...

Here is the postgame stat sheet I posted late Wednesday night: Boise State 86, New Mexico 78

And if you prefer the digital version, here you go: Boise State 86, New Mexico 78

Grammer's Guesses...

It was a 1-1 night for both me and my daughter's coin flip picks on Wednesday, much better than the 0-3 (me) vs. 3-0 (her) Tuesday night.

Current Grammer household picks standings:

• My daughter's coin flip picks: 47-38

• My Grammer's Guesses: 38-47

Up next...

For New Mexico: The Lobos have a bye for the upcoming slate of weekend games and return to action next Tuesday at San Diego State.

For Boise State: The Broncos play at Nevada on Saturday.

Until next time...

We may never know if everyone left Extra Mile Arena on Wednesday because I wasn't there to take an empty arena photo at the end of the night.

Due to flight issues, this will have to do...

Lobo schedule/results...