Starting off the year with a win is the goal of every program around the country, but it especially feels good for Arizona after they joined a new conference in the offseason and are led by a new coaching staff.
Because the expectations are so high surrounding this team since many of their star players returned instead of transferring, leaving Week 1 with a comfortable win is a great way to get this campaign underway.
But, even amid all the excitement that came from their offense putting up 61 points that was powered by their star quarterback Noah Fifita and the record-breakout output by Tetairoa McMillan, there are still plenty of things that need to be cleaned up before they face some of the best opponents on their schedule in the next few weeks.
So, here are the key takeaways after the Wildcats opened up their season with a dominant victory.
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Superstar Duo Isn’t Slowing Down
While New Mexico isn’t exactly the best team to gauge the results of anything offensively, it’s clear the chemistry between Fifita and McMillan continues to drive this unit, and could take them to their first ever College Football Playoff.
One could only wonder what numbers these two would have put up last year if Fifita had been the starter from the beginning, but after a historic 300-plus yard receiving performance by McMillan in Week 1, there’s a chance the superstar wide receiver puts up the most prolific single-season numbers in program history.
Defense Has Issues
Coming into the year, there were some question marks about how the Wildcats might look on defense with a new coordinator in charge. Despite some high-end talent back in the mix, the pass rushing threat was viewed as the weakest link on this team.
Well, the entire defense has some improvements to make after they gave up 39 points and 471 total yards of offense that included 211 on the ground.
They struggled at the point of attack, getting gashed for 5.6 yards per carry as the Lobos quarterback ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
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Arizona has to come up with answers or else they are going to have a hard time contending in the Big 12, let alone for a College Football Playoff spot.
Running Game is Loaded
Much of the attention surrounding Arizona’s offensive attack was centered around what Fifita and McMillan were going to do this season. While they certainly turned heads with their performance on Saturday, another area of the offense flew under the radar.
The Wildcats rushed for 205 yards on 26 carries with four touchdowns, averaging 7.9 yards per carry as their top two running backs of Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Quali Conley were gashing New Mexico’s defense for almost a first down every attempt.
There was some thought throughout camp this could be a major strength of the team, providing them with a balance between their potent passing attack and effective running.
Even though this output came against an inferior opponent, seeing how well this running game looked in live action was huge for this team going forward.
With nearly 20 percent of the conference’s men’s basketball games in the books, the top teams in the Mountain West have already separated themselves.
New Mexico (12-3, 4-0), Utah State (12-3, 4-0) and UNLV (9-5, 3-0) are all undefeated in conference play. Boise State (11-4, 3-1), Colorado State (8-6, 2-1) and San Diego State (9-3, 2-1) have just one MWC loss.
The Broncos, who were picked to win the MWC in the preseason coaches poll, dropped their first home game of the season Saturday afternoon to San Diego State, 76-68. Boise State had won five straight game overall entering the showdown with the Aztecs.
After beginning conference play with victories over three of the MWC’s weakest teams in Air Force (3-11, 0-3), San Jose State (7-9, 0-4) and Wyoming (9-6, 2-2), the Broncos are now in a tough portion of their schedule.
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Boise State hosts UNLV at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night before traveling to Utah State on Saturday. The Broncos then return home to face Wyoming as a tuneup for road matchups with New Mexico and Colorado State.
“We won’t look that far ahead,” Broncos head coach Leon Rice said after the San Diego State loss. “I always tell our guys that our issues are our issues until we solve them. This time of the year, you’re still solving issues and figuring stuff out. And new ones can pop up.”
Utah State has been the story of the MWC this season.
Picked to finish sixth in the preseason coaches poll under first-year head coach Jared Calhoun, the Aggies have been perfect outside of a mid-December home loss to Big West leader UC San Diego (13-2). Utah State’s biggest margin of victory in MWC play was Saturday’s 89-83 win over Fresno State (4-11, 0-4), a game in which the Aggies trailed by 17 points in the first half.
Friday night, Junior Joseph hit an overtime buzzer-beater against Nevada (8-7, 0-4) to keep New Mexico’s perfect MWC record intact. The Lobos boast an early-season win over UCLA but sit way down at No. 70 in the NET Rankings, trailing Utah State (No. 29), San Diego State (35), Boise State (57) and Nevada (64) among MWC teams.
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San Diego State and Utah State were the only MWC representatives in the latest NCAA Tournament projection by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.
While sitting at 3-0 in conference play, UNLV has yet to face a team with a MWC victory. The Rebels own wins over Air Force, Fresno State and San Jose State.
The Aztecs bounced back from a Dec. 28 home loss to Utah State — also on a buzzer-beater — with a big road victory at Boise State. San Diego State is the top MWC team in KenPom at No. 34, followed by Utah State (No. 48), Nevada (58), Boise State (60) and New Mexico (65).
“They are a great defensive team. Not a good defensive team, a great one,” Rice said of the Aztecs, who check in at No. 13 in KenPom’s defensive rating. “I think they’re protecting the paint maybe better than — I mean they always do a good job of it — but this team has really stepped it up there.”
PORTLAES, New Mexico (KFDA) – Eastern New Mexico basketball each fall to the Lubbock Christian Chaps by six on Friday.
On the Women’s side, the Greyhounds lost to the #20 Lady Chaps by a score of 59-53.
After the first 10 minutes of play, the Lady Chaps held an early 14-8 lead.
They followed that up with 14 more points in the second quarter, while they Greyhounds scored 13 of their own, going into halftime with a 28-21 lead.
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After the break, the Greyhounds got to work on both sides of the ball, forcing several turnovers and converting down low, taking the lead after the third and heading into the final frame up 40-38.
The Lady Chaps saved their best basketball for last, scoring the most by any team in all four quarters (21) and stealing the win on the road.
Ishauna Hunter finished with a game-high 20 points to go along with six rebounds and three steals.
Julieta Ceja played a key piece in the rotation, finishing with an 11 point, 12 rebound double-double in her 26 total minutes.
The Greyhounds are now 10-2 on the year, 5-1 in the Lone Star Conference, and will complete their homestand tomorrow against the Midwestern State Mustangs.
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Eastern New Mexico vs. Lubbock Christian WBB(KFDA)
On the Men’s side, they got off to a hot start but ultimately found themselves behind at the end with a final score of 77-71.
Treyvon Byrd was the star of the first half for the Greyhounds, scoring the first nine points by himself.
After the first 20 minutes of play, both teams were knotted at 32.
Chaps’ Ethan Duncan came to life in the second half, and helped lead Lubbock Christian to 45 points in the last 20 minutes, while the defense allowed 39.
Eastern New Mexico vs. Lubbock Christian MBB(KFDA)
Byrd finished with a team-high 24 points, 6 rebounds and four assists.
Jaden Clarke got going as well, shooting 7-14 from the field to finish with 19 points, with four rebounds and one steal.
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A double-double from Jose Murillo (14 pts, 10 reb) kept the Greyhounds going as well.
They too are back in action tomorrow afternoon against the Midwestern State Mustangs.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — Christian Cook had 19 points in New Mexico State’s 78-48 win against Louisiana Tech on Saturday night.
Cook shot 7 for 11, including 5 for 6 from beyond the arc for the Aggies (9-6, 2-0 Conference USA). Robert Carpenter scored 16 points and added six rebounds. Peter Filipovity shot 5 of 9 from the field and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line to finish with 15 points, while adding eight rebounds.
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The Bulldogs (11-4, 0-2) were led by Sean Elkinton, who posted 12 points. Amaree Abram added 10 points for Louisiana Tech.
New Mexico State took the lead with 13:31 left in the first half and did not relinquish it. Carpenter led his team in scoring with 14 points in the first half to help put them up 44-19 at the break. New Mexico State pulled away with an 8-0 run in the second half to extend a 24-point lead to 32 points.
New Mexico State’s next game is Saturday against UTEP on the road, and Louisiana Tech hosts Florida International on Thursday.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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