Sports Speak Up (Feb. 8): How is Bronco going to reduce penalties?

UNM football

In preparation for the upcoming Lobo football season, I would like to know what Bronco Mendenhall will do, specifically, to control the penalties. Penalties killed any momentum that the Lobos were able to mount last year. For fans in the stands, it was incredibly frustrating to watch this. I never know if this is simply the sign of an undisciplined team or just outright poor coaching. Surely this issue has to be front and center on Bronco Mendenhall’s agenda.

— Bob Ferguson

As Rocky Long would say to Bronco, “You better be a miracle worker.” A harder job than Helen Keller’s teacher.

— John Barber

UNM men’s basketball

Prediction. Remember you heard it here first. What happened to Lobo men’s basketball last year is what is about to happen to them this year. They have most of their remaining games on the road, many of them against tough teams. They will lose most of those games. That’s Richard Pitino’s history, especially where he came from in the Big Ten. The Lobos will not make the NCAA tournament.

— Chris Lalley

Editor’s note: This Sports Speak Up was sent in Monday afternoon.

Brian Hamilton’s article, “Six days on the bubble with America’s most eclectic team,” is an exciting read for Lobo basketball fans. The article appeared in the N.Y. Times Feb. 5, 2024 via The Athletic, with an opening picture of Dent, House and Mashburn Jr. in action. From “The Pit” and “Snake” to the essence of wins over SDSU and Utah State. It is all there, the quirkiness of Albuquerque to the electrifying atmosphere in “The Pit.” Plus a glimpse into the past and personalities of the players and coach Pitino. National attention in The New York Times. How about that!

— Wally Lempart

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