New Mexico Lobos Basketball

For the third time in as many years it certainly looks like the UNLV Runnin' Rebels entrance to the NCAA Tournament is going to have to take the route to get there by winning the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

The Rebels dropped their second straight overtime loss, this time to the New Mexico Lobos at "The Pit" today, 73-69, in front of a sellout house of 17,407. This follows on the heels of Tuesday's overtime home loss at home to the San Diego State Aztecs 68-66.

The Rebels played probably their best first half during conference play by jumping out to an early 12-4 lead thanks to two 3's from Tre'Von Willis. They continued playing effectively at both ends of the court going into halftime with a six point lead.

In the second half after holding the Lobos leading scorer, Daniel Faris, to just two points in the first half, senior forward Tony Dandridge exploded with his finest game of the season. Dandridge finished with a game high 26 points shooting 10-13 from the floor and 6-7 from the charity stripe.

The Rebels were led by Wink Adams and Rene Rougeau. Wink started slow but like Dandridge, he too exploded in the second half keeping the Rebels in front for most of the way. Wink finished with 18 points but shot only 6-16 from the floor. Rougeau, who put up a double/double with 12 points and 13 rebounds, played his typical hell bent for leather game. However, his fifth personal foul where he objected to, rather heatedly, resulted in a technical foul and a four point turnaround that put the Lobos up by four.

I report on Rebels games because I have been a big fan since the mid 80's and I have tried to be objective in my reporting. I have pointed out Rebels strengths and weaknesses and have made countless suggestions that Coach Kruger, at times, makes me feel like he reads these reports.

I have however never taken issue with the referees and their calls. It's always been my feeling that poor calls work both ways over the course of a game and certainly for the entire season. These calls even themselves out. This game however, I will take an exception to and say that this was perhaps one of the worst cases of "home cooking" that I have ever witnessed. There were no fewer than six blatant obvious mis-called fouls on the Rebels that weren't even close. Two players, Rene Rougeau and Tre'Von Willis, each had numerous ridiculous calls that frankly changed the outcome of the game.

No doubt Coach Kruger and the Rebel team are very disappointed about the outcome of this game. With seven games left in the conference play, the Rebels appear to need to win out to be a contender for the No. 1 seed in the tournament. With road games still left at Utah and San Diego State, this doesn't seem likely to happen.

Therefore, as mentioned earlier, it will probably take a third straight Mountain Conference Tournament title to go dancing again this year.

Good luck Rebels, you're going to need it.

 BYU aims to crash the BCS party this fall and looks to be head and shoulders above everyone else in the Mountain West Conference. Utah has some important spots to fill and could be the Cougars’ main competition this fall. Here’s a look at the league as its teams go through spring football.

NEW COACH 

Steve Fairchild, Colorado State: He played and coached with the Rams, and while the program has sagged in recent seasons, Fairchild also knows how good it can be. He had spent the past seven seasons in the NFL, including the past two as offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills. He was offensive coordinator for Colorado State from 1997-2000 under Sonny Lubick, who he is replacing. Fairchild re-hired former CSU defensive coordinator Larry Kerr to be his defensive coordinator. Though the Mountain West is a better league than most think, Fairchild will have the Rams contending for league titles quickly.

BIGGEST POSITION BATTLES THIS SPRING

BYU: There will be six new starters in the back eight on defense. Finding two new starting linebackers is the key.

Colorado State: Fairchild’s first priority is finding a new starting quarterback.

New Mexico: Both starting wide receivers are gone. Roland Bruno looks like the front-runner at one spot. But what about the other?

.

San Diego State: The Aztecs’ first priority is finding a new starting quarterback. Junior college transfer Drew Westling may be the guy.

TCU: The Horned Frogs lost both defensive ends. Jerry Hughes looks like a good bet to take over one spot, and redshirt freshman Braylon Broughton has the potential to be a star on the other side.

UNLV: The Rebels need two new starting defensive ends and a linebacker to replace star Beau Bell. Jason Beauchamp should be UNLV’s star linebacker this season.

Utah: The Utes need to find a new go-to receiver, and Bradon Godfrey may be the guy. Utah also must find a new starting defensive end (Greg Newman?) and two new linebackers. Mike Wright would seem to be the likely guy at one of the linebacker spots.

Wyoming: Finding two new starting wide receivers and two new starting cornerbacks is important. Keith Lewis is a front-runner at cornerback. The receiving jobs are wide open.

FIVE PLAYERS WHO SHOULD EMERGE THIS SPRING

Colorado State LB Ricky Brewer: He played well down the stretch as a redshirt freshman last season and has the potential to be the Rams’ leading tackler this season. He’s still a little on the light side (he’s listed at 210 pounds), but he can run and he packs a wallop.

New Mexico WR Roland Bruno: The Lobos lost both starting wide receivers, meaning it’s a wide-open slate for Bruno - a former walk-on who’s now a junior. He finished the season as the No. 3 receiver, but has the potential and quickness to be the go-to guy this season.

Air Force G Nick Charles: He started all 13 games as a sophomore last season. He started at both guard spots and at left tackle. If he is allowed to settle in at one spot, he should make the jump to legit all-conference performer this season. He’s a dean’s list student, too.

Utah WR Bradon Godfrey: Utah’s top two receivers are gone. Godfrey, a senior, is the Utes’ leading returning receiver and should be their go-to guy this fall. He began his career at Division I-AA Southern Utah, then transferred to Utah and walked-on, eventually earning a scholarship. He doesn’t have great speed, but he has good hands, good size (6-3/197) and is physical.

TCU DT James Vess: Vess, who will be a junior this fall, sat out last season for a violation of school policy. He had played well late in 2006 and his absence was felt last season. He has good quickness for a tackle and has all-league potential.

FIVE IMPACT NEWCOMERS THIS SPRING

New Mexico OT Byron Bell: Coaches rave about Bell’s potential. He’s a redshirt freshman who is expected to nail down a starting spot at one of the vacant tackle spots.

TCU DE Braylon Broughton: The Horned Frogs lost both starting defensive ends. Junior Jerry Hughes has first dibs on one starting spot, and the rangy Broughton – a redshirt freshman – should strongly be in the hunt for the other spot.

BYU RB J.J. Di Luigi: Di Liugi, who redshirted last season, rushed for 2,159 yards and 34 TDs as a senior at Canyon Country (Calif.) Canyon High in 2006, when he was a three-star prospect. He’s not going to beat out Harvey Unga for the starting job, but Di Liugi should be a nice change-of-pace back who also could be split out wide and used some as a receiver.

Colorado State DT Sevaro Johnson: Johnson, a junior college transfer, already is enrolled and will get a shot to fill one of the two vacant starting defensive tackle spots.

San Diego State QB Drew Westling: The Aztecs are going to have a new quarterback. The question is which “new guy” gets the job. Westling, a junior college transfer who already is enrolled, began his career at Tulsa before moving on to a junior college. He’s expected to battle redshirt freshman Ryan Lindley and sophomore Kelsey Sokoloski for the starting job left vacant by the graduation of Kevin O’Connell.