New Mexico Men’s Basketball Team Looking To Feast on Alabama State on Thanksgiving Eve
Photograph of UNM forward Tomislav Buljan during a home victory over East Texas A&M. Photo: Erik Moulton/The Pit Press
Thanks to last week’s Hall of Fame Classic, the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team wants to envision giving Alabama State something else to chew on for the holiday.
A thumping.
The Lobos (4-2) split a pair of games in the Kansas City, Mo., tournament, losing 84-72 to Nebraska on Thursday before beating Mississippi State 80-78 in Friday's consolation game.
Both the Cornhuskers and Bulldogs were physical with some great outside shooters.
Alabama State (3-4) won't be as physical, but it has high-scoring senior guards in Micah Simpson and Asjon Anderson, both averaging 17 points a game.
"They are athletic with two really good guards that are high usage in different ways," UNM coach Eric Olen said on Tuesday. "Anderson really gets to the basket. Shoots six, seven free throws a game. Simpson scores more from 3 – catch and shoot.
"They got a really good win (77-74 at the University of Alabama-Birmingham). With those guys, they are dangerous."
But they can also get the stuffing beaten out of them.
The Hornets were hammered by Florida State 101-64, Colorado 94-66 and SIUE 83-68.
They also lost to Air Force 66-64.
Their other two wins came against Virginia Lynchburg 124-68 and IU Indy 101-80.
Alabama State made the NCAA Tournament last year after winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference tourney, then defeated St. Francis in the First Four before losing to Auburn.
This year, however, they are currently ranked 275 by Ken Pom.
But Olen said he doesn't expect the Lobos to look past the Hornets.
"We're still a work in progress; we're improving," he said. "Our approach is still the same, regardless of the result. What we did well (in Kansas City), we can build on. The things we need to improve, we'll try to fix."
Shooting is one of the areas which the Lobos have started to mend, based on the Kansas City results.
"I think we had more catch-and-shoot opportunities in the two games than we had in the previous four games combined. So that's a good sign for us," Olen said. "We're confident in our ability to shoot the basketball."
FRESH STAT: The Lobos are getting double figure scoring from freshmen Jake Hall, Uriah Tenette and Tomislav Buljan, and are now the only team in the country to boast such a trio.
Hall averages 11.7 points a game, Tenette 11.0, and the 23-year-old Buljan -- who had 19 points and a Lobo freshman record 21 rebounds vs. Mississippi State -- is scoring 12.8 per contest while averaging 11.8 rebounds.
Tenette, who started against the Bulldogs, said the weekend "was a fun experience. Being able to play against big-time schools was a good test for us. As a freshman, being able to play in games like that was awesome. Not everybody gets to do it as a freshman."
ALBURY TO START: Olen said senior guard Deyton Albury "is doing a good job" since his benching from the starting role against Mississippi State.
Albury was ejected the night before in the loss to Nebraska after punching the Cornhuskers' Connor Essegian from behind in the jaw, knocking out one of Essegian's teeth.
Albury published a long apology Friday on X. He didn't look in rhythm in the first half Friday night but scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half and hit the go-ahead layup to give UNM a 78-77 lead with 29.7 seconds remaining.
"(It wasn't) an ideal situation, and he knows he made a mistake there," Olen said of Albury's Thursday night swing. "Deyton is an experienced player, and I thought he handled a difficult situation as well as he could – after the fact. He created that difficult situation. ... He showed maturity after an immature decision and played well the second half (against the Bulldogs)."
And for the rest of the season?
"(Albury's) got a good approach," Olen said. "He's got a good mindset; he's a great person. We believe in him as a player, and we expect him to represent us in the right way."
Olen said he plans to start Albury on Wednesday.
THANKS, COACH: Olen said he's having the Lobos over to his house for Thanksgiving dinner, and he expects about 40-plus people as players' family members have also been invited.
"It's a long list for the menu," Olen said.
The coach is giving the Lobos a day off from practice.
After Wednesday, UNM's next game is Monday night in the Pit against New Mexico Highlands.
