MOULTON: Finally an NCAA win, another could be in UNM’s future
Donovan Dent dribbles around Marquette forward Royce Parham in the first half of the NCAA Tournament. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Oh - how good it feels.
The UNM men’s basketball team finally got the monkey – a NCAA Tournament win – off their back.
A plague that lasted over a decade and a half with an impressive Lobos’, 75-66, victory over Marquette in Cleveland and the first round.
UNM looked poised and showed more grit against a good Golden Eagles squad.
In a game that national pundits circled as a high-profile point guard matchup - Kam Jones vs. Donovan Dent - role players decided the difference.
And Dent rose to the occasion and was stellar.
He scored 23 points with six assists and was the best player on the floor in the final minutes.
Although his eight turnovers were an uncharacteristic blemish on the stat sheet, they didn’t doom the Lobos.
Dent was able to get his teammates involved early and often.
Offensive help came from Nelly Junior Joseph (19 points), Tru Washington (12 points), and bench-payer C.J. Noland (11 points).
Noland’s ability to knock down 3-pointers early sparked UNM.
The balanced scoring was needed in a back-and-forth affair between UNM and MU.
Marquette clawed back from being down 7 in the first half and took a brief three-point lead in the second half.
UNM continued to punch back and never let up on the defensive end.
The Lobos held Jones to 15 points (nearly five points under his average).
A 10-0 Lobo run with under six minutes left ultimately put the game away.
A ‘kill shot’ of sorts.
UNM had three consecutive stops on defense. It propelled the Lobos to that coveted first NCAA Tournament win since 2012.
A 13-year wait for a program that’s been impatiently waiting for ‘national relevance’ again.
And, here we are.
A chance at the Sweet 16 - a territory that UNM has never been before since the tournament expanded to 64 in 1985.
UNM will face Michigan State and it’s a Hall of Famer in head coach Tom Izzo.
It could be viewed as one of the Lobos' toughest NCAA Tournament opponents of all time.
Izzo has taken MSU to 27 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, eight Final Fours, one National Runner-Up (2009) and one National Championship (2000).
What Izzo has built (and sustained), only a few have accomplished anything remotely close (you could throw in former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
This season, MSU is built on defense and rebounding.
The Big Ten regular season champs have undeniably one of the best resumes in the country.
27-6 in the regular season and 18-4 in Big Ten play.
They boast a top-five defense, are top 30 offense nationally and are No. 7 in KenPom.
Their personnel and rotation go 10 deep.
Led by a trio of guards, who contribute to one of the best assist rates in the country, the Spartans have weapons at every position.
Senior guard Jeremy Akins leads them in scoring at 12.5 points per game and junior guard Tre Holloman follows with 9.1 points per game.
The emergence of freshman guard, Jase Richardson (the son of NBA Hall of Famer Jason Richardson), has given Izzo another weapon to utilize.
Richardson averages 12.1 points per game.
The difference-maker for MSU is 6-foot-5-inch Coen Carr.
Carr is a walking highlight reel. He’s extremely bouncy and active on the glass.
Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears celebrates after defeating Bryant University in Round 1 of the NCAA Tournament. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
The guard-heavy rotation is capped off with freshman, Jeremy Fears who averages 5.5 assists per game and boasts the seventh-best assist rate in the country.
MSU is a team that is built on defense and rebounding. Key word there: rebounding.
In the first-round matchup with a bigger and more athletic Bryant (Southland Conference Champions), MSU out-rebounded the Bulldogs 54-29.
Not only did the Spartans demolish the Bulldogs on the boards, they also created a ton of second-chance opportunities offensively.
MSU scored 31 points on 21 offensive rebounds. Pure domination.
What’s even more impressive is that Bryant is one of the biggest teams in the country, they average 6-foot-7-inches across the board.
The Lobos have it cut out for them and are not necessarily out-matched. UNM does have a size advantage and cleaned up on the boards all season.
It will take a committed joint effort. Contributions from the bench and guys not named Dent or Joesph.
Defense and rebounding will also be a factor. UNM will have to limit MSU second-chance points and alleviate open runs to the basket.
The Spartans have not been effective from a field-goal perspective. So, UNM must take away any open shots.
MSU is also susceptible to turnovers. In losses to UCLA and USC (both teams UNM beat this season), the Spartans have turned it over 16 and 13 times respectively.
UNM is turnover-hungry and looks to turn Sunday’s game into a track meet. The Lobos play the fourth fastest tempo in the country while MSU is 148th.
The pace is something to watch for in this dog fight for a spot in the South Region’s Regional Semifinals.
NEXT UP: No. 10 New Mexico Lobos vs. No. 2 Michigan State Spartans
Time: Sunday, 6:40 p.m.
Location: Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio
Listen: Lobo Radio Network (96.3 FM/770 AM)
Watch: TNT
