Purdue went down Monday night. That is, referrals are made in order.
Say hello to the Lobos of New Mexico. The team is now in perfect shape.
Junior guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. said of the 14-0 Lobos, “We refuse to lose our mentality. So far, anyway. 17 things to know about the last undefeated team.” is shown below.
1. 55 years
When Lobos finally started 14-0, we’re mostly talking about black and white TV. It was 55 years old. Also, it’s still January 2nd, not the halfway point in the schedule. Also, New Mexico has already surpassed last season’s winning streak when his final record was 13-19.
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2. wow
Lobos ranked 21st in this week’s Associated Press poll, its highest ranking in more than eight years. He didn’t get a single vote in the AP preseason polls, and they’ve climbed steadily since he was voted fifth in the Mountain West preseason rankings. “We thought we would improve, but we probably wouldn’t be sitting here like this,” said coach Richard Pitino. Best start in half a century? “Great,” said Pitino. Is he one of the last two unbeaten teams in the country?”Amazing,” said Pitino. There seems to be a theme here.
3. Unexpected
Lobos are part of the unexpected landscape of college basketball as 2023 begins. Purdue University took him from out of the ranks to number one. North Carolina started the season No. 1 and Kentucky No. 4, neither ranked this week. Combined, he’s 15-13, as are Big East favorites Clayton and Villanova. But the University of Charleston does.
4. Free Throw
The 2023 portion of the season begins with Lobos’ second-most attempted free throw in the nation. and he made
5. Blowout
The 84-63 win at SMU was the Mustangs worst thrashing outside of a conference on their home court in 28 years.
Last@UNM Robo MBB 84
SMU63Lobos Dominant Night@jaelenhouse10 18 points, 3 stl, 5 st@allick_josiah 18 points, 9 revs@Morris Udeze24 15 points, 8 revs@its_jaymashjr 16 points
Back to Pit Saturday vs NM State
highlight @KOB4 @NMGameDay pic.twitter.com/ZhoVQVEbbr
— Brandon Ortega (@Brandega) November 16, 2022
6. Streak snapped
They fell behind St. Mary’s 13-2 after eight minutes, but overtook the Gales and snapped a 23-game home court winning streak, 69-65.
7. Comeback
They trailed San Francisco by 12 points but won 67-64.
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8. Clutch
They escaped last weekend at Wyoming 76-75 with two Mashburn free throws with 17.7 seconds remaining. “Not everything is beautiful,” Pitino said. “Sometimes you have to travel and play one more game than them.”
9. Family fight
New Mexico won the Pitino Bowl as the Lobos beat Iona 82-74. It was the 21st father-son showdown in Division I history that was Richard’s coaching of Pitino against Rick.
It was 🎥 @ThePitUNM game. His 11-0 improvement was the highlight against Iona. @RobTalks Robos. #gorobos pic.twitter.com/aB7a5nBxsf
— Robo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) December 19, 2022
10. Painting points
Lobo likes to work near baskets. Only 28.4% of their field goal attempts are from behind the three-point arc, and his 237 three-point shots are his 330th in the nation. Scored an average of 36.9 points on Paint a Game.
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11. Experience
Last season, the New Mexico roster averaged 93.5 points with nine returning players and two transfers.
12. Successful transfer
The Lobos are one of only three teams in the country with three players averaging over 15.5 points per game. Mashburn and Jaelen House are on 17.1 and Morris Udeze is on 15.7. In the last two seasons he has moved all three to Albuquerque.
13. Like a father, like a son
Mashburn followed Pitino from Minnesota to New Mexico last season and continued to play for him. It runs in his family. Mashburn’s father Jamal played under Rick Pitino at the University of Kentucky. His son has his double-digit scoring streak in his 35-game streak, his third longest streak in the country.
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14. Family Ties
House is the latest star in basketball’s rich legacy. His father Eddie is a career leading scorer at Arizona State University where Jalen started. His uncle Mike beat Rick his Pitino’s Kentucky in his game for the title He played in the 1997 Arizona his National Championship. His grandfather Henry was a guard for UCLA’s championship team in the early 1970s. With seven points to go, Jalen joins his three relatives in his 1,000 career points.
Jaelen House is doing the Jaelen House thing. #gorobos
watch over @FS1 pic.twitter.com/ScbmjGbged— Robo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) December 31, 2022
15. Stability
Pitino, who spent eight seasons with Minnesota and won the NIT Championship and 2017 Big Ten Coach of the Year, has the same starting five in all 14 games.
16. Postseason
Lobos hopes this good karma carries over into March. New Mexico has not won an NCAA Tournament game in her ten years. Lobos last appeared in Sweet 16 in 1974.
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17. Hunted
The next threat to New Mexico’s perfect record is Tuesday’s trip to Fresno, where the Lobos have not won since 2016. New Mexico became a high-value target.
“We’ve kind of gone from being hunters to being hunted,” said forward Josiah Allick. “The rest of the way isn’t an easy one.”
Indeed, Pitino knows what he needs ahead.
“I mean, who are we arrogant?” he said. “Our comrades were humble and hungry.”
And so far it is impossible to beat. Only one remained.
