New Mexico Basketball: What to Expect This Season
Contents
- New Mexico’s Star Players
- The Team’s Overall Strategy
- How New Mexico’s Style of Play Compares to Other Teams
- New Mexico’s Key Games This Season
- The Team’s Potential Weaknesses
- New Mexico’s Chances of Making the NCAA Tournament
- The Team’s Probable Starting Lineup
- New Mexico’s Reserves Who Could See Playing Time
- The Team’s Coaching Staff
- A Prediction for New Mexico’s Season
New Mexico’s basketball team is looking to make some noise this season. Here’s what to expect from the Lobos this year.
New Mexico’s Star Players
The New Mexico Lobos Basketball team is looking to make some noise this season with a strong team of returning players. Headlining the team are two star senior forwards, Carlton Bragg and Dane Kuiper. Together, they will provide a lot of firepower and leadership for the Lobos on both ends of the court.
Also returning are key contributors from last year’s team in junior guard Makuac Baskerville and sophomore forward Isaiah Rice. This duo will be counted on to provide a spark on offense and help anchor the defense. With a strong core of returning players, the Lobos are poised to have a successful season
The Team’s Overall Strategy
The New Mexico Lobos men’s basketball team is looking to redeem themselves this season after a disappointing end to the 2017-2018 campaign.
Last year, the Lobos finished 21-12 overall and 10-8 in Mountain West Conference (MWC) play, good for fifth place in the conference. They entered the MWC tournament as the five-seed and lost in the quarterfinals to eventual tournament champion, San Diego State
This year, the Lobos are picked to finish fourth in the conference in both the MWC’s preseason media poll and Coaches Poll
New Mexico will look to improve upon last season’s results with largely the same roster. The team returns four of its five starters from last season, including its leading scorer from a year ago, senior guard Sam Logwood (13.4 ppg).
The Lobos also bring back junior point guard Anthony Mathis, who averaged 10.4 points per game last season but is coming off of a Knee Injury that kept him out of action for much of the offseason.
Another key returnee is senior forward Dane Kuiper, who averaged 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season while shooting 47 percent from three-point range Kuiper provides another experienced option for Head Coach Paul Weir and will be counted on to step up his production this season with increased minutes.
New Mexico will look to replace the production of its lone graduate, forward Connor MacDougall, who averaged 5.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game last season while serving as a key contributor off the bench.
The top new addition to this year’s squad is 6-foot-10-inch center Naz Bohannon, a transfer from Cleveland State who will have two years of eligibility remaining after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. Bohannon provides an experienced big body down low and should see significant playing time this season as he looks to make an impact in the post for the Lobos.
Other newcomers include freshmen guards JaQuan Lyle (a former ESPN Top 100 recruit) and Vladimir Pinchuk, as well as junior college transfer Troy Simons. All three players could contend for significant minutes this season as Weir looks to mix things up with his rotation early on in order to find some combination that works best for his team moving forward.
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How New Mexico’s Style of Play Compares to Other Teams
Though the Lobos lost some Key Players from last year’s squad, they are still expected to compete for a Mountain West Conference title. Their style of play is unique in the college game and should give them an advantage over some of their opponents.
New Mexico basketball is known for their physical style of play. They are one of the top rebounding teams in the country and try to grind out every possession on both ends of the floor. This can be frustrating for fans used to seeing a more up-and-down style of play, but it has been successful for the Lobos in recent years
One thing to watch for this season is how New Mexico’s offense adapts without last year’s leading scorer, Troy Simons. Simons was a volume shooter who took a lot of tough shots, but he was also one of the best pure shooters in the country. His replacement, Joe Furstinger, is more of a traditional big man who will look to score inside more often. This could lead to a slight change in approach on offense for the Lobos, but they should still be one of the better scoring teams in the Mountain West
On defense, New Mexico will again look to be one of the best in the conference. They have long been known for their tough man-to-man defense, but they have also shown an ability to mix things up and use different defenses when needed. This versatility will be key against some of the better offensive teams in the conference like Boise State and Nevada.
Overall, New Mexico is still a team to watch out for in the Mountain West Conference this season. They may not be as talented as they were last year, but their unique style of play can give them an advantage over some of their opponents.
New Mexico’s Key Games This Season
The New Mexico Basketball team is gearing up for another season of action, and fans can expect some exciting games this year. Here are some of the key matchups to keep an eye on:
-Nov. 12 vs. UTEP: This will be the first big test for the Lobos, as they take on a strong UTEP team.
-Dec. 3 vs. UNLV: UNLV is always a tough opponent, and this game will be a good gauge of where New Mexico is at this point in the season.
-Jan. 14 vs. Colorado State Colorado State is one of the top teams in the Mountain West so this will be a tough game for the Lobos.
-Feb. 11 vs. San Diego State San Diego State is always one of the best teams in the conference, so this will be a tough game for New Mexico.
The Team’s Potential Weaknesses
New Mexico has a young and inexperienced squad this season, which could be a potential weakness. The team will be relying heavily on freshman and sophomores to provide production, and they will likely go through some growing pains throughout the course of the season. Additionally, the team lacks a true go-to scorer that they can rely on in late-game situations. They will need to find ways to manufacture points and get stops when it matters most if they want to be successful.
New Mexico’s Chances of Making the NCAA Tournament
Although New Mexico didn’t have the best season last year, there’s still a lot of excitement around the team. One of the main reasons for this is because the Lobos have a chance to make the NCAA tournament this year.
This is thanks to a strong recruiting class that includes some top prospects With these new players, and some experienced returners, the Lobos have a good chance of making a run in the tournament.
Of course, anything can happen in college basketball and New Mexico will have to play well to make it to the tournament. But if they can put everything together, they could be a force to be reckoned with come March Madness
The Team’s Probable Starting Lineup
We’re still a few weeks away from the start of the college Basketball season but it’s never too early to start taking a look at some of the teams that will be vying for a spot in the NCAA Tournament One of those teams is the University of New Mexico, which is coming off a disappointing 18-19 season in which it failed to make the tournament.
This year’s team will be looking to turn things around, and it will have a good chance to do so with a strong core of players returning from last year’s squad. Let’s take a look at the team’s probable starting lineup for the upcoming season
-G Ian Baker: A senior and the team’s captain, Baker is one of the best shooters in the Mountain West Conference He averaged 14.3 points per game last season and will be counted on to be one of the Lobos’ leaders on and off the court.
-G Okayaska Oyeleke: A junior transfer from Southern Methodist University Oyeleke is expected to make an immediate impact for New Mexico. He’s a versatile player who can shoot and defend, and he should be one of the Lobos’ top scoring threats this season.
-F Corey Manigault: A senior who averaged 10.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season, Manigault is another experienced player who will be counted on to provide leadership for this year’s team. He’s a solid all-around player who does a little bit of everything on both ends of the court.
-F Dane Kuiper: A junior who averaged 6.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last season, Kuiper is another experienced player who will be looking to take his game to the next level this year. He’s a good shooter with a High Basketball IQ, and he’ll be counted on to provide some scoring punch off the bench.
-C Makuach Maluach: A freshman from Australia, Maluach is an intriguing prospect with a lot of potential. At 6’9″, he has good size for a freshman and he can shoot from outside; he’ll need some time to adjust to playing against American competition, but he has the potential to be a very good player down the road.
New Mexico’s Reserves Who Could See Playing Time
With the regular season wrapped up, it’s time to take a look at some of the New Mexico reserves who could see playing time this postseason.
One player who could see increased playing time is freshman forward Amarion Cash. Cash played in just eight games this season, but averaged 2.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in limited minutes. With the Lobos’ frontcourt depth being tested by injuries, Cash could be called upon to provide some minutes off the bench.
Another player who could see re Playing time is sophomore guard Khalid Thomas. Thomas played in all 32 games this season, but saw his minutes decrease as the season progressed. However, with senior guard AnthonyMathis out for the year with an injury, Thomas could be asked to step up and provide some scoring punch off the bench.
Finally, freshman center Jaylon Reese could also see increased playing time in the postseason. Reese has only played in six games this season, but has shown flashes of potential when he’s been on the court. With New Mexico’s frontline depth being tested by injuries, Reese could be asked to provide some minutes in a reserve role.
The Team’s Coaching Staff
New Mexico Basketball is led by head coach Craig Neal. He is currently in his 5th season with the Lobos. Prior to his head coaching career, he was an Assistant Coach for the Atlanta Hawks Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic His experience and leadership have made him a great asset to the team. The Lobos’ assistant coaches are Yanni Hufnagel, Mike Bradbury, and Roger Schuler.
Yanni Hufnagel is in his 1st season with New Mexico. He has over 10 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level. He has coached at Vanderbilt, California, Nevada, and Harvard.
Mike Bradbury is also in his 1st season with New Mexico. He comes to the Lobos after serving as an assistant coach at Wright State for 3 seasons. Prior to that, he was Head Coach at Murray State for 2 seasons and an assistant at Ole Miss for 6 seasons.
Roger Schuler is entering his 5th season with the Lobos. Before coming to New Mexico, he was an assistant coach at Air Force for 3 seasons and was also Head coach at West Point prep school for 2 seasons.
A Prediction for New Mexico’s Season
The New Mexico Lobos are predicted to have a great season this year. They are currently ranked as the number three team in the nation, and they have only lost one game so far. Their next game is against the number two ranked team in the country, and they are expected to win that game. After that, they will most likely go into the NCAA tournament as a number one seed.