Giacoletti wary of Lobos' athleticism

Looking at the records, New Mexico should be one of the best teams Utah has played all season.

The Lobos come into today's game (1 p.m., KJZZ-TV) at the Huntsman Center with a 14-3 record, just behind the Utes' 15-3 mark in a key Mountain West Conference battle for both.

But two big factors will work against the Lobos today.

One is history. The Lobos have not had much success at the Huntsman Center, where they have lost 15 straight games and 19 of the last 20. Of those 15, 11 of the margins were double digits and last year the Lobos were blown out by 30 points. Since the Huntsman Center was opened in 1969, the Lobos have won just four of 36 games.

The other factor is that the Lobos are likely to be without their leading scorer and rebounder, Danny Granger, who suffered torn cartilage in his knee in a game against Wyoming two weeks ago.

At a press conference Monday, the 6-foot-8 Granger said doctors told him he could be out as long as six weeks, but neither he nor coach Ritchie McKay ruled out the possibility of him playing today against Utah.

Granger was named the top returning player in the MWC before the season and is averaging 19.1 points and 8.9 rebounds, second in each category behind Utah's Andrew Bogut.

If Granger is out, the Lobos will start an experienced and balanced lineup led by senior guard Troy DeVries, who averages 11.7 points per game. Other starters include forwards David Chiotti (10.5 ppg) and Alfred Neale (9.2 ppg) and guards Mark Walters (10.3 ppg) and Kris Collins (8.1 ppg).

After opening league play with a home win over Wyoming, the Lobos lost at Air Force 64-62 last Saturday. They compiled a 13-2 preseason mark against a fairly weak schedule, which included 12 home games. The Lobos' best win came against Tennessee, 77-58.

The Lobos shoot a lot of 3-pointers, nearly twice as many as the Utes, and rank 17th in the country in 3-pointers per game with 8.6.

DeVries leads the way with 48 3-pointers on 45.7 percent shooting.

"They're extremely athletic and versatile enough that four or five starters can shoot the 3," said Utah coach Ray Giacoletti. "They can really stretch your defense and it's hard to defend against them."

The Utes have been bothered by injuries over the past month, but are getting healthier. Richard Chaney, who has missed the past seven games with a broken hand, is expected to play today, although his minutes may be limited. Also, Justin Hawkins is seeing more minutes every game after sitting out with back spasms.

Besides Bogut, the Utes are expected to start Bryant Markson, Chris Jackson, Tim Drisdom and Marc Jackson.

After today's game, the Utes meet Air Force on Monday night at 7.

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Utes on the air

New Mexico (14-3, 1-1) at Utah (15-3, 3-0)

Today, 1 p.m.

TV: KJZZ

Radio: KALL 700AM

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E-mail: sor@desnews.com