College Hoops Top 50

Last Year: 26-10; 10-8, Sixth in the Mountain West and conference tournament champions, lost in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament

Head Coach: Richard Pitino (Fourth Year; 61-41 at New Mexico, with one NCAA Tournament appearance)

Projected Starting Lineup

PG Donovan Dent – 6’2″, 185 Junior

G Tru Washington – 6’4″, 195 Sophomore

G CJ Noland – 6’4″, 220 5th-year Senior

F Mustapha Amzil – 6’9″, 215 Senior

C Nelly Junior Joseph – 6’10”, 245 Senior

Experienced Reserves

G Quinton Webb – 6’6″, 200 Sophomore

W Braden Appelhans – 6’7″, 195 Sophomore

F Ibrahima Sacko – 6’6″, 240 Sophomore

F Flip Borovićanin – 6’9″, 220 Junior

F Deraje Agbaosi – 6’7″, 215 Junior

F/C Atiki Ally Atiki – 6’10”, 210 Senior

Freshmen

G Kayde Dotson – 6’2″, 180

G Dylan Chavez – 6’5″, 185

F Daniel Thomas – 6’8″, 215

F Jovan Milicevic – 6’10”, 260

There were a couple of moments last year when New Mexico’s season looked like it might be turning into a terrifying sequel to a movie that Lobo fans really would have preferred to forget. Fortunately for the folks in Albuquerque, there was an epic run coming, and it was good enough to make the Lobos into champions. 

Two years ago, UNM absolutely fell apart down the stretch, ruining what had been a promising second season under head coach Richard Pitino. Though there were some worrying wobbles late last winter, the Lobos showed up to the Mountain West Conference tournament with high hopes and a bubbly résumé. By the end of the event, there was no doubt that New Mexico would be Dancing. The Lobos won four straight games – three of them against NCAA Tournament teams – by an average margin of 14 points, emphatically punching their ticket to sport’s biggest party. UNM’s 26 wins were the program’s most in a decade, and now, the Lobos are looking to carry on towards even bigger things. 

Key contributors from that crew are now gone – three of the team’s top four scorers graduated or transferred – but the cupboard in ABQ is far from bare. Pitino knows a thing or two about bringing in high-end potential, and the Lobos are welcoming a talented tapestry of new faces. This team’s new foundation will be built, though, upon the pair of key contributors that Pitino is bringing back. With intimidating big man Nelly Junior Joseph and one of the country’s most exciting players in point guard Donovan Dent, New Mexico has an inside-out duo that knows how to take over the action. 

Put simply, Dent does things that most players just can’t do. His blinding full-court speed combined with elite quickness attacking the basket can completely disorganize a defense, and Dent thrives upon the chaos he creates. During his breakout sophomore run, Dent created some iconic moments for Lobo fans with his bravado, situational awareness, and skill. Three different times, with the clock nearing triple-zero’s, Dent drove the length of the court in an absolute blur to convert exhilarating layups and win games over UT-Arlington, conference foe Colorado State, and rival New Mexico State. 

“At the end, it was give the ball to Donnie and let him figure it out,” Pitino reflected in the aftermath of UNM’s win over Colorado State. “When you have six or seven seconds, you don’t have a lot of time to go run a play. Just put in his hands and he’ll make the right play and he did so again tonight.” 

With his acceleration, slick handles, and confidence, Dent explodes in from the perimeter, earning most of his buckets on his way through the lane. He’s proven capable of making tough shots, and Dent often takes a pounding from his style of attacking the biggest dudes on the floor. This year, he’s hoping to show off a more refined and consistent jumper. Dent sank a solid 37.5% of his triples last year, but only attempted 40 of them in 35 games. He’s also hoping to convert more of his free throw tries; though he earns lots of trips to the stripe, Dent has made less than 70% of his freebies in both of his seasons. As a defender, Dent is highly disruptive, and seems to have picked up a thing or two from graduated star stopper Jaelen House. He’s one of the most dangerous shot-blocking guards around, and Dent’s aggressiveness leads to plenty of deflections, steals and transition opportunities. 

Speaking of stopping the other team, Nelly Junior Joseph returns for his final season of eligibility as one of the best defensive centers in the country. The man called ‘NJJ’ is a rock-solid presence around the rim, gobbling up boards, stuffing down dunks, and constantly making opponents reconsider their shot attempts. The former Iona transfer has snagged 100+ offensive rebounds while averaging more than a block and steal per game each of the past three seasons. As if being big, quick, and strong weren’t enough, NJJ has also added a veteran’s awareness and anticipation to his array of attributes. One his best plays last year was a heads-up theft late against New Mexico State last December which helped spark the Lobos to victory. 

As if being big, quick, and strong weren’t enough, NJJ has also added a veteran’s awareness and anticipation to his array of attributes.

“Nelly’s steal – we wanted to be aggressive, we thought they’d go high ball screen, he gets an amazing steal … and then Donovan makes an absolute amazing finish at the rim. That’s how we won the game.” With their pick-and-roll pair back to make more winning plays, the Lobos have had a leg up on rebooting this summer, and NJJ is hoping to show more shooting touch than ever before, also. Coming into last year, NJJ had been a 63.8% foul shooter. He cratered down to 52.3% last winter, though, part of a team-wide issue at the charity stripe. Though UNM got to the free throw line more than 21 times per game, they collectively made 70.7% of their chances (239th nationally). He will also hope to show a bit more offensive versatility this season. NJJ played something of a ‘1-B’ role to departed MWC co-Freshman of the Year JT Toppin as last winter deepened, and this time around, the veteran pivot wants to stand out in his own right. 

With more than 50 points per game gone from last year, Pitino needs as much scoring as possible from just about everyone else in his rotation. Fortunately, last year’s top two reserves are back to step in as key supporting actors. With the team in need of shooting and steady production next to NJJ in an effort to replace departed MWC Freshman of the Year JT Toppin, the league’s reigning 6th Man of the Year – Mustapha Amzil – will have a bright green light to do his thing. 

After three years at Dayton, the Finnish forward headed west looking to grow his role. While that didn’t exactly happen last season, Lobo fans can take at least some heart from the fact that, if Amzil’s career arc stays true, he’s due for a much more productive year to come. During seasons which begin with an even year, Amzil has averaged 9.5 points and made 37.2% of his triples; as opposed to his 6.2 scoring average and 29.3% rate from distance the other two seasons. Not the shot blocker or beastly presence that NJJ is, Amzil offers a counterpoint by moving the ball well and spacing the floor. Amzil will need to hit the boards and defend at the highest level of his career while also upswinging offensively if he’s to max out his potential in his fifth season. 

Having three guards who could take turns leading the way last season was a luxury that launched New Mexico to the MWC tournament title and made them tough to plan for. Now, Pitino needs Tru Washington and CJ Noland to step up and pour fuel onto the fires Dent sparks. After turning in a quality freshman season as the top backcourt reserve, Washington is going to get the chance to play all the minutes he can handle. He’s got some playmaking skill, a jumper that’s coming along, and Washington looked like a natural harrying the opposition when he was out there alongside House and Dent. Those are the a bunch of the raw skills which Pitino most looks for in young guards, and after a summer of polishing up his game, Washington’s coach is excited to watch the youngster bloom. 

After a couple years of failing to quite take off at Oklahoma, Noland headed back home to Texas and enjoyed his best season last winter. The big, strong guard was a 4-star prospect coming out of Waxahachie, TX, and showed why in helping to lead North Texas to the second round of the NIT despite injuries all over the Mean Green’s backcourt. His biggest improvements as a junior may have come as a result of Noland’s jumper becoming a more consistent threat. He attempted just about 80 shots from in close, mid-range, the land of trey, and the free throw line a year ago, and Noland very nearly established career-high percentages across the board. Like his new backcourt buddies, creating looks for his teammates is a secondary skill which comes naturally to Noland. He’s a good isolation scorer who can wear out mismatches by posting up smaller or less physical guards, and Noland keeps aware of good opportunities to kick it out for open shooters. With the Lobos in need of consistent outside production to stretch out the defense, Pitino’s and his staff are counting on Noland to maintain the 38.4% rate he posted last year while increasing his volume of attempts. 

New Mexico has added some intriguing pieces around NJJ and Amzil, and how the minutes shake out will be one of the key factors to watch this fall as Pitino sorts out his best rotation. Speedy guards and bigs who hammered the glass are what defined the Lobos at both ends last year. Can this ‘bigger’ team keep it up? 

Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks)

80.8 – Points Per Game (21st)

+9.7 – Average Score Margin (19th)

32.7% – Team 3FG Percentage (243rd)

4.9 – Blocks Per Game (20th)

8.5 – Steals Per Game (21st)

BYU transfer Atiki Ally Atiki and former Arizona forward Filip Borovićanin will bring some contrast to the frontcourt. Atiki played a prominent role defending, protecting, and attacking the rim over the past three years for the Cougars. He missed time last winter following an altercation against Arizona State and then due to a leg injury, though, and in his fourth campaign, Atiki is looking to finish strong. Like NJJ, Atiki is very much a post-oriented big man who doesn’t really range out to the perimeter. There have always been some rough edges to his game, but Atiki is looking to show some refinement this year. He can really set a screen, and Atiki fits as a rim-runner who should help the Lobos to command the offensive glass. If he can continue to be a powerful presence without racking up too many fouls, Atiki should fit well both beside NJJ and when UNM’s top big needs a breather. 

With the Wildcats, Borovićanin didn’t play a whole lot, but when Zona was up big, he got the chance to show his stuff. A shooting forward whose deep range didn’t always show up in the desert, Pitino is hoping that more regular run this winter will allow Borovićanin will really hit his stride. He made 58.3% of his two-point attempts as a Wildcat, and Borovićanin has great functional length inside when he buckles down and uses it. The threat of his perimeter jumper creates space to operate, but with the Lobos, Borovićanin will have to prove that he can knock ’em down in order to keep defenders off-balance. 

Like Borovićanin and Atiki, Ibrahima Sacko was born outside the USA and will look to carve out a role of his own following a transfer to Albuquerque. In his debut at Georgia Tech, Sacko proved that he’s a rock-solid defender and rebounder. He’s not huge, but Sacko’s wingspan and physicality count for a great deal more than his listed size. He’s a tenacious rebounder who guards aggressively whether his opponent is a wing or forward, and Sacko’s versatility plus toughness should make him a very useful guy in a few different lineups this winter. If he can show the ability to score on more than putbacks and feeds near the rim, as well, it will go a long way towards Sacko becoming a consistent part of Pitino’s lineup. Former Division II star Deraje Agboasi will try to help out as well following a redshirt season to get acclimated to the Lobos.

Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on

@ St. John’s – November 17

N UCLA – November 8

N Saint Mary’s/Southern Cal – November 29

vs VCU – December 18

N Arizona State – November 28

A freshman last year, Quinton Webb missed all of February due to injury but returns as another youngster who can shoot the rock. He largely saw 10+ minutes of action in non-competitive games as a rookie, but Webb has the size and skill to develop into a good scoring option off the bench this year. Braden Appelhans is also coming back, and he offers tremendous length as a wing shooter. Appelhans spoke very frankly about his mental health struggles in a social media post back in March, and returned from a post-new year absence for the Lobos’ final few games. He’s seen quite spotty minutes through two years, but if Appelhans can make three’s, he’ll find a way to contribute. This season’s freshmen aren’t by and large expected to make an instant impact, but Kayde Dotson seems like a quality long-term prospect. He can shoot it, passes creatively, sees the halfcourt well, and Dotson is an unselfish player who gives his all defensively. A big-time winner who took home a pair state titles in high school, Dotson knows what it takes to contribute on a successful team and will help this one. 

“It’s a totally different team, a totally different feel,” Pitino told KRQE News this summer. “I think you will see the look of them, bigger, stronger.” Pitino knows he has a different crew this fall, but he’s established a few things in Albuquerque. The Lobos will run, they’ll put pressure on their opponents whether attacking from the perimeter or pounding the rock inside to their big guys. When they see an advantage, they will press it – and when all the chips are down, Donovan Dent will have the ball in his hands and the full confidence of his teammates to get the job done. They’ll need to make their free throws, though, now more than ever. 

As one of the flagship programs of the Mountain West going forward, there are in some ways New expectations for UNM. With a couple of terrific guards and one of the country’s best freshmen gone this year, New Mexico isn’t looking at the same type of lineup loaded with proven guys. Even in an age where some teams are two-deep with star players, though, they have a couple of legit standouts and now, postseason experience on their side. Dent in particular will give the Lobos the chance to hang with everyone on their schedule, and if he gets help from the rising fourth and fifth-year guys Pitino has surrounded him with, these Lobos can make another run.