2017–18 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team

2017–18 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball
ConferenceMountain West Conference
Record19–15 (12–6 MW)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Chris Harriman
  • Brandon Mason
  • Jerome Robinson
Home arenaDreamstyle Arena
Seasons
2017–18 Mountain West Conference
men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 24 Nevada 15 – 3   .833 29 – 8   .784
Boise State 13 – 5   .722 23 – 9   .719
New Mexico 12 – 6   .667 19 – 15   .559
Fresno State 11 – 7   .611 21 – 11   .656
San Diego State † 11 – 7   .611 22 – 11   .667
Wyoming 10 – 8   .556 20 – 13   .606
UNLV 8 – 10   .444 20 – 13   .606
Utah State 8 – 10   .444 17 – 17   .500
Air Force 6 – 12   .333 12 – 19   .387
Colorado State 4 – 14   .222 11 – 21   .344
San Jose State 1 – 17   .056 4 – 26   .133
† Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2017–18 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team represented the University of New Mexico during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Lobos were led by first-year head coach Paul Weir. They played their home games at Dreamstyle Arena, more commonly known as The Pit, in Albuquerque, New Mexico as members of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 19–15, 12–6 in Mountain West play to finish in third place. They defeated Wyoming and Utah State to advance to the championship game of the Mountain West tournament where they lost to San Diego State.

Previous season

The Lobos finished the season 17–14, 10–8 in Mountain West play to finish in fifth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West tournament to Fresno State. On March 31, head coach Craig Neal was fired from the program.[1]

Offseason

Departures

Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Adam Cumber G 6'2" 185 RS So. Albuquerque, NM Walk-on; Left team.
Aher Uguak G/F 6'7" 206 Fr. Edmonton, Alberta Transferred to Loyola–Chicago
Damien Jefferson G/F 6'5" 190 Fr. East Chicago, Indiana Transferred to Creighton.[2]
Elijah Brown G 6'4" 200 RS Jr. Orange County, California Graduated; Transferred to Oregon.[3]
Holt Shelley F 6'9" 221 Fr. Cliff, New Mexico Walk-on; left team for personal reasons.
Jalen Harris G 6'2" 156 Fr. Wilson, North Carolina Transferred to Arkansas.
Jordan Hunter G 5'11" 180 So. Beaumont, Texas Transferred to Lamar.
Obij Aget C 7'1" 220 Sr. Juba, South Sudan Graduated.
Tim Williams F 6'8" 240 RS Sr. Flossmoor, Illinois Graduated.
Xavier Adams G 6'4" 205 Jr. Flower Mound, Texas Transferred to Pittsburg State.

Incoming transfers

Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Antino Jackson G 6'0" 170 Sr. Houston, TX Graduate transfer from Akron. Will be eligible to play immediately.[4]
Chris McNeal G 6'1" 185 Jr. Jackson, TN Junior college transfer from Indian Hills Community College. McNeal is eligible to play immediately.[5]
Jachai Simmons F 6'8" 190 Jr. Plainfield, NJ Junior college transfer from Midland College. Simmons is eligible to play immediately.[6]
JaQuan Lyle G 6'5" 210 Jr. Evansville, IN Transfer from Ohio State. Will have to redshirt for the 2017–18 season due to NCAA transfer rules, with 2 years of remaining eligibility.[7]
Troy Simons G 6'3" 195 Jr. Pittsburgh, PA Junior college transfer from Polk State College. Simons is eligible to play immediately.[8]
Vance Jackson F 6'9" 235 So. Los Angeles, CA Transfer from Connecticut. Will have to redshirt for the 2017–18 season due to NCAA transfer rules, with 3 years of remaining eligibility.[9]

2017 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Makuach Maluach
F 		Sydney, Australia Newington College 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jul 20, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Vladimir Pinchuk
F 		Hagen, Germany Phoenix Hagen 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Aug 11, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 New Mexico Basketball Commits". ESPN.com.

2018 Recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Drue Drinnon
PG 		Mableton, GA University School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Oct 29, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 82
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Preseason

In a vote by conference media at the Mountain West media day, the Lobos were picked to finish in ninth place in the Mountain West.[10]

Roster

2017–18 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Matt Vail (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 145 lb (66 kg) Fr Grants HS Grants, New Mexico
G 1 Chris McNeal 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Indian Hills C.C. Jackson, Tennessee
G/F 2 Sam Logwood 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr La Lumiere School Indianapolis, Indiana
G 3 Antino Jackson 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sr Akron Houston, Texas
F 5 Joe Furstinger 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Santa Margarita Catholic HS Rancho Santa Margarita, California
G/F 10 Makuach Maluach 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Newington College Sydney, Australia
G/F 11 Jachai Simmons 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Midland Plainfield, New Jersey
G 13 JaQuan Lyle Current redshirt 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Ohio State Evansville, Indiana
G/F 14 Dane Kuiper 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Corona del Sol HS Wasilla, Alaska
F/C 15 Vladimir Pinchuk 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Phoenix Hagen Hagen, Germany
F 22 Vance Jackson Current redshirt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So Connecticut Los Angeles, California
G 31 Troy Simons 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Polk State Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
G 32 Anthony Mathis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr West Linn High HS West Linn, Oregon
F 55 Connor MacDougall 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Jr South Mountain C.C. Tempe, Arizona
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 27, 2017*
7:00 pm 		BYU
Charity Exhibition for Hurricane Victims 		L 73–79 
Dreamstyle Arena (4,902)
Albuquerque, NM
Non-conference regular season
Nov 11, 2017*
7:00 pm 		Northern New Mexico W 147–76  1–0
 Dreamstyle Arena (10,695)
Albuquerque, NM
Nov 14, 2017*
7:00 pm 		Omaha
Emerald Coast Classic campus-site game 		W 103–71  2–0
 Dreamstyle Arena (9,601)
Albuquerque, NM
Nov 17, 2017*
7:00 pm 		at New Mexico State
Rio Grande Rivalry 		L 56–75  2–1
 Pan American Center (6,839)
Las Cruces, NM
Nov 21, 2017*
7:00 pm 		Tennessee Tech
Emerald Coast Classic campus-site game 		L 96-104  2–2
 Dreamstyle Arena (9,703)
Albuquerque, NM
Nov 24, 2017*
5:00 pm, CBSSN 		vs. TCU
Emerald Coast Classic semifinals 		L 67–69  2–3
 The Arena at NWFSC (1,000)
Niceville, FL
Nov 25, 2017*
2:00 pm 		vs. Maryland
Emerald Coast Classic 3rd place game 		L 65–80  2–4
 The Arena at NWFSC (1,250)
Niceville, FL
Nov 29, 2017*
7:00 pm, ATTSNRM 		Evansville
MW–MVC Challenge 		W 78–59  3–4
 Dreamstyle Arena (8,943)
Albuquerque, NM
Dec 2, 2017*
7:00 pm 		at UTEP L 76–88  3–5
 Don Haskins Center (6,394)
El Paso, TX
Dec 6, 2017*
7:00 pm, P12N 		at Colorado L 57–75  3–6
 Coors Events Center (6,610)
Boulder, CO
Dec 9, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		New Mexico State
Rio Grande Rivalry 		L 62–65  3–7
 Dreamstyle Arena (12,768)
Albuquerque, NM
Dec 16, 2017*
6:00 pm, CBSSN 		No. 23 Arizona L 73–89  3–8
 Dreamstyle Arena (13,207)
Albuquerque, NM
Dec 19, 2017*
7:30 pm, ATTSNRM 		Rice W 78–69  4–8
 Dreamstyle Arena (9,415)
Albuquerque, NM
Dec 22, 2017*
7:00 pm, ATTSNRM 		Prairie View A&M W 87–78  5–8
 Dreamstyle Arena (9,423)
Albuquerque, NM
Mountain West regular season
Dec 27, 2017
7:00 pm, ATTSNRM 		Air Force W 87–58  6–8
(1–0) 		Dreamstyle Arena (10,514)
Albuquerque, NM
Dec 30, 2017
3:00 pm, ATTSNRM 		at Nevada L 74–77  6–9
(1–1) 		Lawlor Events Center (9,530)
Reno, NV
Jan 3, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Boise State L 62–90  6–10
(1–2) 		Taco Bell Arena (7,557)
Boise, ID
Jan 6, 2018
7:00 pm 		San Jose State W 80–47  7–10
(2–2) 		Dreamstyle Arena (10,799)
Albuquerque, NM
Jan 10, 2018
7:00 pm, Stadium 		Wyoming W 75–66  8–10
(3–2) 		Dreamstyle Arena (9,846)
Albuquerque, NM
Jan 13, 2018
5:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Fresno State L 80–89  8–11
(3–3) 		Save Mart Center (6,244)
Fresno, CA
Jan 17, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPN3 		at UNLV W 85–81  9–11
(4–3) 		Thomas & Mack Center (10,546)
Paradise, NV
Jan 20, 2018
5:00 pm, CBSSN 		San Diego State W 79–75  10–11
(5–3) 		Dreamstyle Arena (11,418)
Albuquerque, NM
Jan 27, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Colorado State W 80–65  11–11
(6–3) 		Dreamstyle Arena (12,438)
Albuquerque, NM
Jan 31, 2018
7:00 pm 		at Utah State L 80–89  11–12
(6–4) 		Smith Spectrum (6,345)
Logan, UT
Feb 3, 2018
4:00 pm, ATTSNRM 		at San Jose State W 71–68  12–12
(7–4) 		Event Center Arena (2,151)
San Jose, CA
Feb 6, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPNU 		Boise State L 71–73  12–13
(7–5) 		Dreamstyle Arena (11,357)
Albuquerque, NM
Feb 10, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Air Force L 92–100  12–14
(7–6) 		Clune Arena (2,851)
Colorado Springs, CO
Feb 14, 2018
7:00 pm 		Utah State W 78–63  13–14
(8–6) 		Dreamstyle Arena (9,737)
Albuquerque, NM
Feb 21, 2018
7:00 pm, ATTSNRM 		at Wyoming W 119–114  14–14
(9–6) 		Arena-Auditorium (4,321)
Laramie, WY
Feb 24, 2018
12:00 pm, CBSSN 		UNLV W 91–90  15–14
(10–6) 		Dreamstyle Arena (12,080)
Albuquerque, NM
Feb 28, 2018
7:00 pm, ATTSNRM 		at Colorado State W 108–87  16–14
(11–6) 		Moby Arena (2,917)
Fort Collins, CO
Mar 3, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Fresno State W 95–86  17–14
(12–6) 		Dreamstyle Arena (13,069)
Albuquerque, NM
Mountain West tournament
Mar 8, 2018
8:30 pm, CBSSN 		(3) vs. (6) Wyoming
Quarterfinals 		W 85–75  18–14
 Thomas & Mack Center (6,753)
Paradise, NV
Mar 9, 2018
8:30 pm, CBSSN 		(3) vs. (7) Utah State
Semifinals 		W 83–68  19–14
 Thomas & Mack Center (8,224)
Paradise, NV
Mar 10, 2018
4:00 pm, CBS 		(3) vs. (5) San Diego State
Championship Game 		L 75–82  19–15
 Thomas & Mack Center (8,456)
Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Mountain Time.

References

  1. ^ "Craig Neal fired as New Mexico head coach after 17-14 season". ESPN. April 1, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  2. ^ Grammer, Geoff (June 11, 2017). "Damien Jefferson sixth to transfer from Lobo hoops". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  3. ^ Tate, Van (March 20, 2017). "Elijah Brown to transfer from New Mexico". KRQE. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  4. ^ Grammer, Geoff (April 26, 2017). "Akron graduate transfer point guard commits to Lobo hoops". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  5. ^ Grammer, Geoff (May 1, 2017). "Lobo men's hoops signs another point guard". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  6. ^ Grammer, Geoff (May 6, 2017). "Lobos sign forward who was previously signed with NMSU". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  7. ^ Chester, Jared (August 4, 2017). "Lobo Basketball picks up another transfer, JaQuan Lyle". KRQE. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  8. ^ Grammer, Geoff (April 17, 2017). "Lobos sign high-scoring JC guard Simons". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  9. ^ Grammer, Geoff (June 26, 2017). "UConn transfer Vance Jackson signs with Lobo basketball". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  10. ^ "Nevada Predicted to Win 2017-18 Mountain West Men's Basketball Regular-Season Title". Mountain West. October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017.