INDIANAPOLIS, IN–New Mexico traveled to the Hoosier state this week for their semifinal appearance in the NIT. A place they’ve been before, finishing the tournament as runner-ups in 1964 and securing a fourth place finish in 1990.
Their opponent is also in familiar territory, with Thursday’s appearance also being their third overall. But the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes won NIT titles both times before, in 1981 and 2001.
Eric Konkol’s squad is a fine tuned offensive machine, ranked 36th in the nation by KenPom. The former student assistant who was on the bench for Tulsa’s 2001 NIT Championship has turned around the Golden Hurricane’s program after a brutal four year rebuild.
The Lobos will need to play immaculate defense for forty minutes while also trying to keep pace with a team that averages 85.4 PPG, good enough for 15th in the nation.
First Half
Graduate forward David Green opened up the scoring with a layup in the opening minute. Each side struggled a bit after with turnovers, as defensive pressure was at a premium.
Luke Haupt opened the Lobos’ scoring account with a drive in the lane, tying things up at two a piece in the first three minutes of play.
Jake Hall went to work in the next Lobo possession, drawing contact and heading to the line for two free ones. He would go one of two from the free throw line.
Tulsa found their first triple of the game from their transfer sniper Miles Barnstable. It wasn’t long before he knocked down his second triple of the game to give the Golden Hurricanes the 8-3 lead approaching the fifteen minute mark.
Hall answered with a two point jumper to keep the deficit to just one possession. After a defensive stop on the other end, the ball found it’s way to JT Rock in the paint. The seven-foot one big man let a hook shot fly over three Tulsa defenders and it bounced in to bring the Lobos within one.
After the media timeout, a pair of turnovers led to another Barnstable triple. The Lobos began to struggle with guarding Tulsa on the perimeter as Ade Popoola drained another deep ball on the very next possession to put his squad up 14-7.
JT Rock hit the offensive boards on the other end and nearly had the one handed slam putback to ignite the traveling Lobo fans. Though it didn’t fall he did manage the layup to end New Mexico’s scoring drought.
After a few offensive boards, Tulsa’s Ian Smikle knocked down the second chance layup to extend their lead to 16-9.
Deyton Albury attacked the glass on the next possession, but ended up at the free throw line. He would also go one of two.
Albury picked Green’s pocket on the next Tulsa possession and ran the ball to the basket on the other end for a much needed field goal.
Eric Konkol’s squad continued to carve up the Lobos on the perimeter with their fifth triple of the contest, this time from Myles Rigsby. Uriah Tenette sparked the fast break out of the inbound and found a cutting Buljan for an easy layup at the rim.
The Croatian would turn the ball over on the next play and some quality interior defense by the Golden Hurricanes would send Albury’s layup into the stands. But the ball would stay with New Mexico.
Tenette would find some space in the lane and attacked the basket but was fouled hard and sent to the foul stripe. He would be the first Lobo of the afternoon to knock down both shots to bring New Mexico within three, 19-16 with eight minutes left in the half.
After another empty possession by Tulsa, Haupt drove the ball hard to the hoop and was sent to the hardwood but his circus shot fell right in.
As the Lobos were within striking distance to take the lead, Popoola knocked down his second triple of the game, his team’s sixth of the half to extend their lead.
Tenette gave the Lobos their first triple of the game after some give and go work between he and Antonio Chol left him wide open in the near corner for the deep ball. Bringing the Lobos to within one (22-21) with about six minutes left in the half.
On the next Lobo play, he found himself open after the screen and took a deep three. The bank happened to be open and New Mexico had the 24-22 lead with 5:50 left before halftime.
Tajavis Miller would foul KJ Martin Jr. and send him to the charity stripe on the other end, he would go one of two. After a missed shot by Hall, a Jaylen Lawal fast break gave Tulsa back the lead after an easy layup.
On the other end, Haupt took the ball into the paint but found himself surrounded so he kicked the ball out to the perimeter but completely overshot the pass. Green tracked it down but lost his footing out of bounds, giving the ball back to New Mexico.
Out of the media timeout, the Lobos got the reset they needed. After an over zealous Tulsa defender left a near wide open Miller open in the corner for a deep triple. That momentum was short lived Popoola drained his third triple from the bottom corner on the next play.
Buljan attempted to pound the basketball in the paint but his shot didn’t fall, luckily Haupt was there to clean it up for a second chance layup. But as we continued to see, Tulsa was hot from beyond the arc. With Lawal draining a beautiful jumper whose arc nearly hit the roof inside Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Haupt drew some contact on the next play and went to the line, but the Lobos’ achilles heal, free throw shooting was on full display as he missed his first of a one and one.
The Golden Hurricanes were taking advantage of the Lobos’ two weaknesses, free throw shooting and perimeter defense as Lawal drained another triple to extend Tulsa’s lead to 36-29 in the final minute of the half.
New Mexico had two opportunities to put some more points on the board before the halftime buzzer. Many adjustments needed to be made in the locker room, all of those traveling Lobo fans couldn’t be let down after traveling halfway across the country.
Half Time
To only be down by seven points when your opponent shoots 50% from deep on eighteen attempts in the first half, you can call that a win, sort of. The Golden Hurricanes also shot 44.8% from the field and found themselves with the lead after only having two free throw attempts all half.
The Lobos outrebounded their opponents 21-15, but struggled to find production from their top two scorers Hall and Buljan. The normally potent freshman scoring duo were a combined 2-14 from the floor in the first twenty minutes of play. Something that couldn’t continue in the second half if they hope to stay in Indianapolis the rest of the week.
Second Half
Tulsa were the first to score in the second half, with a layup in the post by Green. After some out of control circus shots by the Lobos, Hall knocked down his first triple of the contest. New Mexico forced a turnover on the next possession and some old school three man weave action on the fast break led to an open Buljan layup at the rim.
The sloppy play continued from New Mexico, as another Tulsa turnover simply resulted in another Lobo turnover as Buljan overshot the pass to Tenette and it fell out of bounds.
Tulsa started their own fast break soon after and a quick dish to a sprinting Tyler Behrend broke the Golden Hurricanes scoring drought.
Jake Hall was hacked on the other end and found himself at the free throw line for a one and one opportunity. He would drain them both. Albury hounded the ball handler on the next possession, drawing the jump ball call but the arrow favored Tulsa.
On the next Tulsa inbound Haupt picked the ball out of mid-air but had his shot layup swatted on the other end. The ball was recovered and found it’s way to Hall. The freshman drew some contact and found himself at the line for two more, he would drain them both.
Both sides began to display some second half fatigue, but Hall kept scoring. With a cherry picked play which found him one on one at the rim and after a pair of head fakes he got his defender in the air and got the easy two.
The physical play continued but Barnstable drove the lane and gave Tulsa a much needed two points to put them up 44-40 with 13:00 left to go in the game. Both sides continued to struggle offensively, but Lawal attacked the rim with ferocity and knocked down the bank shot.
Albury took the ball in the lane and after banging in the paint, he took the rare but welcomed two point jumper to keep the Lobos within four, 46-42.
Out of the break, Buljan began to find some footing in the post. Backing down his defender and going up for two points, while also looking for the foul. After an empty Tulsa possession, Chol found himself with the ball in the paint but was blocked and called for a jump ball.
The Golden Hurricanes displayed staunch defense against a pair of Lobo possessions. That defensive momentum carried over on the other end and would knock down back to back triples, courtesy of Popoola and Martin Jr.
The Lobos continued to attack offensively, with an Albury layup and two free throws for from Hall who was fouled beyond the arc.
After a mass substitution by Coach Konkol, Hall went to work on the other end. Backing down his defender and fading away for a two point jumper. Shrinking the Lobo deficit to two, 52-50 with about eight minutes left in the game.
On the other end, Haupt fouled Green and sent him to the foul line for two easy ones. After the media timeout, Hall would knock down another two pointer to keep New Mexico within striking distance.
Though they continued do guard the perimeter with little pressure as big man Behrend drained one to extend Tulsa’s lead. On the other end Rock answered back with a deep triple of his own. Though Tylen Riley broke down his interior defense on the next possession dishing it off to Behrend for the two handed slam.
After a missed Tenette three point attempt on the next Lobo possession, Rock secured the rebound and had a turnaround hook shot bank off of the glass to bring New Mexico back within two, 59-57 as the game approached the five minute mark.
After a missed Tulsa shot, Rock began calling for the ball in the post. The Lobos got him the ball and he began to battle with Behrend and went to the line for two. He would display a much needed clutch gene and drain them both to tie things up at fifty-nine a piece.
Hall would miss the next jumper and that turned into a fast break layup for Riley on the other end to regain the lead. The Lobos got the ball back to their hot hand in Rock on the other end, but he was tied up for a jump ball and the ball went back to the Golden Hurricanes.
Riley went to work with Tenette on him after the timeout, with screens and handoffs effectively getting the smaller guard off of him just enough to drain the runner in the lane. Extending their lead to 63-59 with 2:23 left in the game. After a missed Lobo jumper Riley found himself at the free throw line on the other end.
After two made Tulsa free throws, Hall took a three point attempt but his shot just wasn’t falling. On the other end the Golden Hurricanes looked a bit tired, but still displayed high energy recovering the ball multiple times. Which resulted in two more free ones to put them up 67-59 with about two minutes left in this one.
Albury knocked down the two pointer to keep the Lobos in the fight on the next possession. While Rock managed to salvage the next defensive stop, with a swat in the paint.
Hall found himself at the line on the other end for a pair of free throws, but a cutting Green on the other end grew Tulsa’s lead by another field goal. As the Lobos looked for an open man on their next possession, they found Buljan open at the top of the key. He heaved one up with a tremendous amount of arc and the triple found the bottom of the net. Making it a one possession game again, but the ball was Tulsa’s.
Eric Olen called a quick timeout. New Mexico went to the full court press and fouled Green on the drive. The 67% free throw shooter went to the line and drained them both. On the other end they got the ball to Rock, who was 1-3 before the shot, but the ball hit the back of the rim.
Riley was fouled on the other end, but he would go one of two to give Tulsa the 72-66 lead. The Lobos got the ball to Haupt on the other end but the triples continued to evade Eric Olen’s squad. Haupt fouled Barnstable immediately and fouled out. Green would drain both free ones.
New Mexico continued to search for points from deep and this time Rock stepped up for another deep triple. With only fourteen seconds left in this one, Tenette forced the turnover for another chance. The Lobos would miss their next two three point attempts and the final buzzer sounded.
In the end, Tulsa would advance to the finals after beating New Mexico 74-69. The Golden Hurricanes stuck to their guns, knocking down 12-32 deep ones. Even though Eric Konkol’s squad has made a name for themselves offensively all year long, their defense against the Lobos was also top notch.
Holding New Mexico to just 35.3% from the field on nearly seventy attempts. Including holding them to 21.2% from three on thirty-three attempts. They also came back and outrebounded their opponent 24-16, grabbing some key defensive boards.
It was a tough night shooting the Lobos. And even though both Hall and Buljan had better offensive performances in the second half, it wasn’t enough.
Players of the Game:
New Mexico-JT Rock-RS Sophomore Center, 16 points & 6 rebounds on 50% (5-10) shooting from the floor, 33.3% (2-6) from deep and 100% (4-4) from the free throw line in just 16 minutes on the floor
As Jake Hall’s hot and cold offensive performance continued, Rock stepped up in a big way. Grabbing offensive boards, knocking down put back shots at the rim, knocking down triples down the stretch and going a clutch 4-4 from the free throw line. All of this in just sixteen minutes off of the bench.
Tulsa-Tylen Riley-Junior Guard, 10 points, 6 rebounds & 5 assists while shooting just 18% (2-11) from the floor, 0% (0-1) from deep and 75% (6-8) from the free throw line in 28 minutes on the floor
To pick one player as Tulsa’s player of the game was hard. No one stood out tremendously, but as a whole this team came together to get the W as a unit. Riley came off of the bench and continued to facilitate offensive opportunities when much of his team gassed out. Creating a cushion for the Golden Hurricanes at the free throw line.
Up Next:
Tulsa advanced to their third NIT final. Where they would face the winner of Auburn vs. Illinois State on Sunday April 5th. That game will tip off at 6:00 PM MT and can be seen on ESPN2. Eric Konkol was a student assistant on the 2001 championship team that defeated Alabama 79-60. He now has the opportunity to hang a banner inside the Reynolds Center in what has been a true rebuild in Tulsa.
The Lobos season came to an end Thursday night. After a hard fought game that I’m sure each player would like to run back again. Eric Olen’s squad finished the season with a 26-11 overall record and plenty of momentum heading into the offseason. But many open roster spots to work with, but more importantly, several key players to try and retain.
Larry Muniz is a Mountain West Basketball beat writer for Couch Potato Sports, along with West Coast mid-major coverage at Mid-Major Madness.
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