When Colorado State University and the UNM men's basketball team meet tonight in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, the Rams may hope that their lucky number is 12.
The Lobos have beaten the Rams 11 straight times, including twice this year - a 72-71 overtime victory in The Pit and a 54-51 triumph in Fort Collins, Colo. During UNM's home victory, forward Wayland White swatted away an in-bounds pass with 4.2 seconds on the clock to seal the win, while during UNM's victory in Moby Gym, point guard Marlon Parmer hit a short jumper with 6.8 seconds in regulation.
Colorado State head coach Dale Layer said his team is hoping to turn the tide against the Lobos.
"We have some confidence that we've played them tough, but they probably have confidence that they beat us twice," Layer said. "I think that with both games being decided late, you can look at 10 or 15 things that we could have done different."
The play of UNM guard Ruben Douglas also was instrumental in the two wins. In game one, Douglas scored 21 points to lead the Lobos and in game two, he hit 6-of-12 3-pointers en route to 23 total points. Layer said his coaching staff would not change its game plan to shut down Douglas.
"We've struggled with him," Layer said. "He's scored on drives, he's scored on threes and he and Parmer have been the thorns in our side. But we try not to alter our defense for one specific man."
UNM head coach Fran Fraschilla said the Lobos' game plan was simple - score more points than the opponent.
"The key for us and them is that the team that makes the most shots wins," Fraschilla said. "If we can get on a roll and get people besides Ruben and Marlon making shots, we'll be alright."
Fraschilla also said UNM would have to shut down the perimeter play of the Rams and excel in its own perimeter game to win.
"If John Sivesind, Ron Grady or Garrett Patik make 3s, it's going to be a long night for us," Fraschilla said. "I think the way Parmer's played as of late will open it up some for our other perimeter players."
At last year's Mountain West Tournament, UNM went into a first-round game against Brigham Young University having swept the Cougars in the regular season. But a well-prepared BYU team ended UNM's tournament run with a 55-43 win. Layer said no matter how hard you scout another team, playing it three times in a year offers no real advantage.
"When you beat somebody twice you're doing something right," Layer said with a chuckle. "We've got to play them pretty much the same way. We've struggled with their athleticism; Brian Smith hurt us and Wayland White hurt us as well, so they certainly present match-up problems for us."
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With the Lobos on a three game losing streak, Fraschilla said his staff's job is to make sure that the team comes in motivated to win.
"The thing for our team to understand is that we're going to have to play a team that is desperate," Fraschilla said. "They have five seniors that are not going to want their careers to end. It's important that we play with the same intensity and determination that Colorado State will play at."
The winner of the CSU-UNM game plays the University of Utah Friday at 10 p.m. The Utes sit out the first round of the tournament by virtue of a bye the team received for winning the regular-season conference title. UNM was swept by the Utes this year, 82-69 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and 66-61 last Saturday in The Pit. Colorado State also was swept by Utah this year.
In other first-round games, second-seeded BYU meets the number seven seed, Air Force Academy, today at 3:30 p.m. and the third-seeded University of Wyoming plays sixth seed San Diego State at 7 p.m. The winners of the two games will play at 6 p.m. Friday.
At least one head coach, BYU's Steve Cleveland, seemed somewhat relieved that the University of Nevada at Las Vegas - whose home floor is the site of the tournament - would not be participating this year. The team was forced by the NCAA to sit out the postseason for recruiting infractions involving former UNLV player Lamar Odom.
"I don't think there's a significant home court advantage," Cleveland said. "Everybody has an equal chance. Next year, I'd like to see it at a neutral site, where there's no advantage to anyone."
