The last time the U men’s basketball team started out a conference season 0-3, Dwight D. Eisenhower was president, The Diary of Anne Frank had just been released and Cheez Whiz was busting into the canned dairy market.
Not since 1952 have the Utes started off their conference slate this poorly, but they are not alone. New Mexico is also in the same boat, as the Lobos have yet to win a Mountain West game. The two conference doormats have a chance to get out of the gutter tomorrow night when the Utes travel to Albuquerque.
The Lobos experienced a significant amount of success early in the season, winning their first five games, but have since dropped seven of their last 13.
Last week, New Mexico handled No. 16 Air Force for most of the contest, going up by as many as 21 points. But in the second half, the Lobos’ three-point touch went from hot to subzero and they lost their lead, as well as the game, 65-57.
“(New Mexico) lives by the three and dies by the three,” said U coach Ray Giacoletti. “When they’re on, they can run you right out of the gym. But when they’re off, they can lose some big leads.”
Kansas transfer J.R. Giddens has been the driving force behind the Lobos this year, scoring 17.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. The junior has sat out the last two games with an injured left foot but is expected to play tomorrow night.
“If (Giddens) gets going, he’s really tough to stop,” said U forward Shaun Green. “We’ve got to find him early in transition and do our best to shut him down.”
Junior Tony Danridge and sophomore Chad Toppert also carry a heavy load for the Lobos. Danridge is second on the team in scoring (12.2 ppg) and Toppert is New Mexico’s most prolific outside shooter (47 of 95).
Meanwhile, the Utes continue to struggle with confidence after a tough loss to Colorado State last Tuesday. Utah found itself trailing early in the game and was never able to snap out of its funk, ultimately losing 73-57.
“We’ve got to start coming together as a team and have fun on the court,” Green said. “Losing as many close games as we have kind of puts a damper on your confidence, so we just have to get back to doing our thing.”
Utah will try to iron out its problems tomorrow night at The Pit in New Mexico. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.
Lennie Mahler