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November 23 Sheet

California at New Mexico (pick) - Game 745-746 - 7:00pm Pacific
Big day for Lobo athletics. They play for a shot at a conference title in football earlier in the day, and will open up a new era of basketball in the evening. Things could not have gotten much worse for Lobo basketball last season and fans and players alike were happy to finally see head coach Fran Fraschilla resign. In comes young Ritchie McKay after stints at Colorado State & Oregon State. McKay's father played at New Mexico and so far McKay is said to be making a great impression. His first order of business was instilling discipline and he set the tone early by dismissing starting forward Patrick Dennehy after a disagreement. Last years team probably had more talent to work with, but clearly this years team has far superior chemistry, teamwork, and camaraderie. Players call practices a "night & day" difference from last year. They are having fun and learning rather than constantly repeating drills and being yelled at by Fraschilla as in past seasons. This is a confident team and they are very eager to start the season.

New Mexico's strength again lies with their guards. Two 5th year seniors lead the way which is always a strong sign. Former Arizona transfer Ruben Douglas (18.1ppg last year) is MWC preseason player of the year and will be the best player on the floor tonight. Former Washington transfer Senque Carey (6.0ppg, 4.0rpg, 3.2apg last year) struggled with his shooting last season but will make a much bigger impact this season. He is a great all around player capable of triple doubles. McKay will opt for a three guard lineup with the addition of JC transfer point guard Javin Tindall (35 minuets, 21 points in exhibition game) who led his team to D-2 national championship last season. He is a real impact player.

The frontcourt is not as decorated but is amply capable. 6-11 sophomore Chad Bell (3.1ppg, 2.1rpg last year, put on 25 pounds) and 6-6 sophomore Jamaal Williams (7.7ppg, 5.1rpg last year) are the returnees. Freshman David Chiotti has impressed enough to merit starting consideration & freshman Mikal Monette is also in the mix.

It is going to be a little difficult to recognize Cal this year. They lose three starters and two other key contributors from last years team. Three year starting point guard Shantay Legans (heart and soul of team) transferred to Fresno State, freshman center Jamal Sampson opted for the NBA, and senior leaders Solomon Hughes, Ryan Forehan-Kelly, and Dennis Gates were lost to graduation. Cal is left with few bright spots. Senior Joe Shipp led the team in scoring last year at 14.8ppg but is inconsistent and has trouble creating his own shots. Fellow senior Brian Wethers (10.4ppg last year) is athletic but lacks ball handling, playmaking, and shooting skills. Sophomore center Amit Tamir (9.9ppg last year) is creative offensively but is not nearly as good on the boards or effective defensively (only 5 blocks last season) as last years duo of Hughes (31 blocks) and Sampson (54 blocks) inside. Tamir will have a much bigger load to carry this year. No other returnee scored more than A.J. Diggs (3.2ppg) who will start at point guard for now until freshman Richard Midgley is ready. Diggs (a former walk-on) will get a chance, but probably is more suited to a reserve role. Another former walk-on, junior forward Conor Famulener (1.1ppg last year) is likely to start at forward as projected starter Gabriel Hughes is slowed by a back problem. He has not practiced much and head coach Braun said he would be happy to get 10-15 minutes from him. "It's a fine line," Braun said. "You want to give yourself a chance to win the game, but you have to look long term, too."

This is a Cal team in a state of flux. They will most likely improve significantly as the season goes on, but they are in for a learning experience tonight at the Pit. Lobos even sold out their two exhibition games so a sellout here is a lock. New Mexico has gone 113-19 (86%) at home since 1995. Cal's excellent 23-9 team of last year was only 4-6 overall, and 0-1 in non-conference true away games (13-19 overall on road last three years, 0-5 in non-conference road games last three years).

The two teams met in Berkeley last year with Cal winning by 9. Cal returns just 11 of the 71 points scored in that game, while New Mexico returns 39 of their 62 points. Lobos have two former Pac-10 starters in their lineup and head coach McKay coached at Oregon State the past two seasons so they know the opponent very well. New Mexico wants this game a lot more than Cal. Look for the Lobos to kick the McKay era off with an important home win.

New Mexico  1 UNIT

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