Head coach Ray Birmingham said his team has been improving and must continue to grow from within rather than worry about the upcoming series tonight against the UNLV Rebels.
“We’re trying to play the game right. If we can get everyone to play the game right, then we should take off,” he said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with the teams that we’re facing, it has to do with us.”
New Mexico’s head coach had anticipated some bumps in the road, but he said he couldn’t have anticipated all of the ups and downs brought about by this season.
“It’s a young team and they’re starting to grow up a little bit,” Birmingham said. “I knew it was going to be a rollercoaster, but I didn’t know it was going to play out like this.”
If UNM (21-15, 11-7 Mountain West) can continue to build on its five-game winning streak, the Lobos will be in good shape to climb up the conference ladder. UNM sits in third place in the MW.
The Lobos reside just two games behind Nevada (28-9, 13-5 Mountain West) for second place, and only three games behind the conference leader, San Diego State. The Wolf Pack and the Aztecs (27-11, 14-4 MW) will face off this weekend in a three-game series.
UNM will be up against a much different UNLV squad than a year ago. Last year the Rebels swept New Mexico at home, pushing UNLV to a shared conference title with the Lobos. This year UNLV (15-20, 2-13 MW) is at the bottom of the conference, having yet to win a series against a Mountain West opponent.
Regardless of UNLV’s recent plummet from first to worst, Birmingham said UNM needs to focus on clawing its way back into the race for a Mountain West championship and not on the opposition in the dugout across the field.
“We’re going to try to win the regular season,” Birmingham said. “We’re hoping some things play out this weekend so we can get right back in the hunt.”
Even if New Mexico is unable to overcome the two teams at the top of the conference, UNM is in good shape to make another appearance in the regional tournament, Birmingham said . The quality of opponents that New Mexico has beaten gives the ball club alternate options to make the regional bid without garnering at least a share of the Mountain West title for the fifth year in a row.
The Lobos have the best Ratings Percentage Index in the Mountain West following the team’s two-game sweep over Grand Canyon University on Tuesday and Wednesday. UNM has the 52nd best RPI in the nation, just one above conference rival Nevada.
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Although Birmingham would like to add yet another conference championship ring to his fingers, the head coach said the team should be in position to make a push without it.
“We got a chance to get into regionals,” Birmingham said. “Our RPI is a regional RPI, so we’re in good shape.”
Liam Cary-Eaves is the assistant sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at assistantsports@dailylobo.com or on twitter @Liam_CE.
