It’s been almost three months since we wrote about Richard Pitino’s New Mexico Lobos getting Final Four hype. That was before the college hoops season began and the preseason puffery appears to be ringing true as Pitino’s squad is 18-3 overall and surged six spots to No. 19 in the Jan. 29 AP Top 25 poll.
New Mexico bludgeoned Nevada 89-55 on Sunday night, with Pitino’s team being led by the former Gophers guard Jamal Mashburn Jr., who followed him southwest and has become a star for the Lobos.
Mashburn Jr., the son of former NBA star Jamal Mashburn, is tied with Jaelen House for the team lead at 15.6 points per game. They’re two of six players averaging at least 9.0 points per game this season.
The Lobos are deep, have three really good guards and they are very good on both ends of the floor. Their adjusted offensive rating ranks 37th in the nation and their adjusted defensive rating is 20th. They’re 19th in the KenPom rankings, which are a really strong measuring stick for seeding teams in the NCAA Tournament.
In other words, they’re playing like a team that could be seeded five or better when the tournament bracket is revealed on March 17. In Joe Lunardi’s Jan. 26 bracketology for ESPN, the Lobos are a No. 9 seed but considered to be on the rise. Sunday’s blowout win over Nevada will help.
Meanwhile, back in Minnesota, the Gophers are 84th in the KenPom rankings and 92nd and 71st in adjusted offensive and defense ratings, respectively.
Ben Johnson was hired in Pitino’s place and Minnesota went 13-19 in Year 1 and 9-22 in Year 2 under Johnson, including a 2-17 record in the Big Ten. In his third year on the Minnesota bench, the Gophers are 13-7 overall and 4-5 in conference play.
Considering the Gophers were picked by the media to finish last in the Big Ten, this season has exceeded expectations. But they’re not on the level of the Lobos – and it’s not as simple believing Minnesota has a more difficult time in a Power Five conference.
In fact, Minnesota’s strength of schedule is 170th in the nation, per KenPom, while New Mexico’s is 70th.
Pitino is only 41 years old and already in his 12th season as a head coach in major college hoops, having got his start at Florida International in 2012-13 before leading Minnesota from 2013-14 to 2020-21 and now in his third season at New Mexico.
Pitino’s success in Albuquerque could spawn bigger jobs. This one probably doesn’t qualify as a bigger job, but Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press is reporting that Pitino “could be in line for the Saint Louis University coaching job.”
The Billikens play in the Atlanta 10 Conference, which is arguably on par with the Mount West that New Mexico plays in.
