UNM looks to avenge its overtime loss to the University of Wyoming from one month ago this weekend.
Remember back to Jan. 13. The Lobo men's basketball team had dropped six of eight games. The team was on the verge of a catastrophic meltdown after being humiliated on national television by head coach Ritchie McKay's former team, Colorado State University.
Even worse, UNM was headed north to the treacherous plains of Laramie, home of the Wyoming Cowboys, to face the best team in the conference. For Wyoming, it was supposed to be a blowout, an "easy-win."
Instead, the Lobos built a 10-point lead with 3:57 remaining in the game. UNM had not won in Laramie in six years and was playing its best game of the season. Lo and behold, the Cowboys outscored the Lobos 12-2 down the stretch, including a 3-pointer by Donta Richardson with 2.3 seconds remaining, forcing overtime and breaking hearts across the UNM campus.
UNM eventually lost that contest, but gained more in the process. The game seemed to bring out a sense of camaraderie, a show of character and, perhaps more importantly, a surge of confidence that proved they could play with anyone, anywhere.
Now fast forward to Saturday, when the Lobos (8-12, 2-5 MWC) welcome the Cowboys to The Pit, for Wild West showdown -- part two.
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The Lobos are coming off a stellar performance against Air Force Academy. They played their way to victory, shooting over 50 percent against the nation's second-ranked defense.
Although UNM has only two Mountain West Conference wins, it still has seven games remaining. Team unity is vastly improving and shooting percentage is on the rise.
UNM boasts the front-runner for MWC player of the year and the second-leading scorer in the nation in senior guard Ruben Douglas. He is averaging 27.5 PPG, including 33.3 PPG in MWC play. The nation's leading scorer is Mike Helms, a six-foot junior guard from Oakland University, averaging 28.0 PPG.
On the other hand, Wyoming (16-6, 4-3 MWC) has dropped three straight conference games for the first time in six years. The losses came at the hands of San Diego State University, Brigham Young University and the University of Utah. Two of those losses came back-to-back on Wyoming's home floor also a first since March of 2001. The Cowboys fell from first to third in the process and are in desperate need of a victory in their chase of the league leaders, BYU and Utah, both of which are 6-1 in the MWC.
This game should be no different than the first. Wyoming loves to push the ball into a free flowing transition game, as do the Lobos. UNM, however, has an emerging inside weapon that had not yet blossomed when the two teams faced off in Laramie.
Saturday, freshman forward David Chiotti will have another chance to do just that -- blossom into the limelight. Chiotti is coming off one of his best games against Air Force, in which he finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. With Chiotti's emergence, the Lobos can move their motion offense a little closer to the basket and free up the guards for better looks.
The task will not be easy for Chiotti. He will have his hands full against Uchi Nsonwu-Amandi, the senior center for the Cowboys. At 6-feet-8-inches and sporting a 250-pound-chiseled frame, Amandi can flat out beat you up inside. He is averaging 13.7 PPG and shooting a staggering 55 percent from the floor. Amandi also contributes 10.8 RPG.
Another Wyoming weapon is MWC player of the year candidate, senior guard Donta Richardson. The Lobos remember him from the first encounter, when he single handedly created havoc on both ends of the floor. In the final four minutes, Richardson shut down Douglas, created key turnovers and sank the game tying three at the end of regulation. He is Wyoming's leading scorer at 17.1 PPG.
As the conference race heats up and the second half of the league season begins, the Lobos will try to charge back into contention. It seems like a longshot, but with four out of seven remaining games at home, anything can happen.
Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m., at University Arena. The game will be telecast live on Channel 13 (KRQE) and broadcast live on 770 AM.
