New Mexico is looking to get back on track after losing two straight games on the road. Scott Forman/The Lobo Lair
Isabel Gonzalez
@cisabelg
New Mexico vs Colorado
Dec. 11, 2018 at 7 p.m. MT
Dreamstyle Arena aka The Pit
Watch: ESPN2
After tough back-to-back losses, the Lobos are returning to New Mexico to try to regroup and recover as they host Colorado for a Tuesday night game.
The cherry & silver team is returning from a three-game stretch on the road, which resulted in one win and two losses. While the Lobos still hold a winning overall record at 4-3, it’s clear they are struggling. Even before the season started, head coach Paul Weir had discussed that his team needed to work on defense. This showed during the first few games of the season, but recently the offense has begun screaming for help.
During the New Mexico State 100-65 loss, the Lobos only made 18 shots from the field out of their 64 attempts. This gave them a 28.1 percent accuracy. While they showed improvement when they faced Saint Mary’s a couple days later with a 34.8 shooting percentage, this wasn’t nearly enough to avoid an 85-60 loss. One of the key statistics in this game was the Lobos going 4-26 from beyond the arc (15.4 percent accuracy).
Meanwhile, the Colorado Buffaloes are enjoying a 7-1 overall record and are currently on a five-game winning streak. Sophomore point guard McKinley Wright IV led the team to an 84-72 victory over Illinois-Chicago by collecting 21 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Sophomore forward Tyler Bey also helped out with 15 points and 15 rebounds, achieving his second double-double of the year.
Tyler Bey with the dunk #GoBuffs pic.twitter.com/x9yyeA7ZMP
— Colorado Men's Basketball (@CUBuffsMBB) December 8, 2018
Wright leads the team in scoring by averaging 15. 1 points per game. Bey follows closely with an average 12.1 points per game. Junior forward Lucas Siewert averages the same amount as Bey.
UNM head coach Paul Weir said Colorado would be a good opponent because of the balance the team has.
“They’re just a very good, well-rounded team,” he said. “They are very good offensively. They guard the basketball. They don’t have a ton of holes.”
One thing the Lobos will have on their side is home court advantage. New Mexico gathered 10,188 fans for the home opener against Iona on Nov. 13. This was the smallest crowd the team has had this season, but even this number is bigger than the Buffs largest crowd this season (7,887) on Dec. 1 for their game against Colorado State.
Notes
- Bill Walton will be the analyst for the ESPN2 broadcast.
- The first 14,000 at the fans will received free tickets to Meow Wolf in Santa Fe. Courtesy of Meow Wolf.
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