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New Mexico-TCU Preview

Jan 29, 2010 - 8:22 PM New Mexico (19-3) at TCU (10-11), 6:05 p.m. EDT

New Mexico is riding a five-game winning streak after a big homecourt victory this week over BYU.

Coach Steve Alford said that accomplishment will become even bigger if the No. 23 Lobos (19-3, 5-2 Mountain West) can make it six in a row with a road victory Saturday at TCU (10-11, 2-4).

"We've got a chance to go into February with 20 wins at 6-2 in the league, with three road wins in the league. Those are the challenges for Saturday," Alford said.

If that happens, it would mark New Mexico's third straight 20-win season. Alford's 65 wins in his first three seasons in Albuquerque are more than any previous Lobo coach. It also would be the 11th 20-win campaign in Alford's 18 years as a head coach.

At the midpoint of the Mountain West schedule, it has been quite a ride for New Mexico. The young Lobos went 14-1 in non-conference play, then lost their first two league games to San Diego State and UNLV. Since then, they've won five straight.

Beating No. 12 BYU was huge, and Alford said his players have their confidence restored.

"You know, our league's ranked No. 6 in the country," he said. "We're ahead of the Pac-10. We're percentage points behind the Big Ten. When you're playing in a league this tough, that's hard to win five in a row. I see our swagger getting back."

Over the past five games, the Lobos are getting a big lift from their reserves. The bench - all freshmen and sophomores - has averaged 21.2 points and 11 rebounds per game during that span, making it tougher for opponents to key on any individual player.

Sophomore Guard Nate Garth has scored 29 points while sophomore forward Will Brown has added 29 points and 27 rebounds off the bench during the current winning streak.

Guard Jamal Fenton, a freshman, said Alford challenged the backups to find ways to contribute after the Lobos lost to UNLV on Jan. 9.

"Coach preached that the freshmen can't play like freshmen," he said. "We have to play like sophomores and the juniors have to play like seniors. Those of us on the bench, we have to find ways to step up, whether it's taking a charge or even being a cheerleader from the bench."

Darington Hobson, who leads the Lobos with averages of 14.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, said something was missing in New Mexico's losses - effort.

"The first two games where we lost, our effort wasn't where it normally is," Hobson said. "Coach got on us big-time. Now it's back, and I think our swagger is back."

The Lobos insist they'll be focused for TCU, which has lost two straight.

Trouble is, there's always an enormous difference for the Lobos when they leave the boisterous atmosphere of The Pit. During the BYU game, guard Dairese Gary said he had to stand next to teammates to hear them talking amid the noise created by a capacity crowd of 14,586.

"It felt like the floor was rumbling," Gary said.

The Lobos will be playing in front of a few thousand fans in Fort Worth, Texas. Fenton said it's reminiscent of New Mexico's Dec. 23 trip to Tulsa, Okla., where the Lobos - ranked No. 12 at the time - got their first loss of the season at Oral Roberts.

"We'll stay humble," Fenton said. "We probably have a target on our back again, like when we were ranked No. 12. This time, hopefully we'll have a better chance of taking care of things, a better chance of getting the win."