Emptying the Notebook: Did the Big Apple expose a big problem in the paint for the Lobos?

Nov. 18—NEW YORK — Here are some extra notes, quotes, stats, videos and whatever else I managed to empty out of the old reporter’s notebook after Sunday’s 85-71 Lobos loss to No. 22 St. John’s in Madison Square Garden:

Bigger doesn’t matter if you don’t use it…

First and foremost, the Lobos being 3-1 through four games with an away-from-the-Pit win over a ranked team (UCLA on Nov. 8 in Nevada) that will be a Quad 1 victory come March means one thing: They’re doing just fine.

Sunday’s 85-71 loss to St. John’s in Madison Square Garden doesn’t change that. But it is a game on film now for every other team to see, another chunk of data to throw into the system in trying to learn what this team is.

And while the Lobos may be bigger this season, as we’ve been told plenty and have seen with our own eyes, that doesn’t really mean much if they don’t actually play big.

Sunday, they had a starting 6-foot9 forward post a statline of all zeros in one half and not play in the second. The 6-9 starting four was great on offense, but not a ton of help on defense. As St. John’s pulled Nelly Junior Joseph from the rim, nobody else stepped up to help defend the paint. Bigger guards on the perimeter cut driving lanes and made UNM limited on offense.

Basically, for the first time this season, the Lobos got worked over with size, getting outrebounded 49-32 and outscored in the paint 48-38 — the most St. John’s scored in the paint this season and the most the Lobos have allowed this season.

UNM’s points in the paint allowed:

—48 — loss at St. John’s

—38 — win vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

—30 — win vs. Nicholls State

—24 — win vs. UCLA

AVERAGE: 35.0 pts in paint/game

2023-24 AVG: 31.5 pts in paint/game

Last season, UNM averaged a 9.1-point per game advantage in scoring in the paint. A lot of that has to do with guards getting in the paint and finishing, but the stopping of teams scoring in the paint has an awful lot to do with bigger, better shot blockers stopping teams from rebounding…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/emptying-notebook-did-big-apple-150100223.html

Author : Albuquerque Journal, N.M.

Publish date : 2024-11-18 15:01:00

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