Busting Brackets
Fansided

Mountain West Basketball: 2019-20 takeaways from Thanksgiving week

By Jacob Salcido

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 25: JaQuan Lyle #5 of the New Mexico Lobos drives past Isaac Okoro #23 of the Auburn Tigers during the second half of their game at Barclays Center on November 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 25: JaQuan Lyle #5 of the New Mexico Lobos drives past Isaac Okoro #23 of the Auburn Tigers during the second half of their game at Barclays Center on November 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 26: Zane Martin #0 of the New Mexico Lobos rebounds the ball during the second half of their game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Barclays Center on November 26, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 26: Zane Martin #0 of the New Mexico Lobos rebounds the ball during the second half of their game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Barclays Center on November 26, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /

New Mexico beats Wisconsin in Legends Classic

The Lobos have talent – everyone around the league knows this. That being said, fans were curious to see how this talent would stack up against tough competition on a neutral court. New Mexico first got a shot at the nationally-ranked Auburn Tigers, but looked extremely confused, defeated and especially sloppy throughout – star guard JaQuan Lyle was battling an illness, sitting most of the second half, while turnovers and fast play hurt the Lobos – The Tigers seemed to beat New Mexico at their own game, but it was apparent the Lobos were keeping themselves out of the game time and time again.

After Richmond took a surprise victory over the Wisconsin Badgers on the other side of the Legends Classic bracket, New Mexico found themselves drawing another ‘Power 5’ conference foe. So how did the Lobos respond after getting the brakes beat off of them one day prior..? Quietly. Confidently. And with composure.

The slow pace Wisconsin is known to play at definitely played in favor of Paul Weir’s usually-fast, but turnover-prone team. If Lyle was still battling an illness against Wisconsin, it didn’t show. Lyle looked solid throughout, and led four players in double-digit scoring, putting up 14 points, while Carlton Bragg, JJ Caldwell and Zane Martin each added 12 of their own.

This New Mexico roster has the talent to compete with anyone, but chemistry has to be consistent. Lyle is also absolutely crucial to this team’s success. If there was any doubt of that before this week, one need not look any further than the ‘Bos’ performance against Auburn with Lyle off his game, then on the bench – it wasn’t a very pretty sight.

We learned that these Lobos are resilient. In recent years, a total in-game collapse would have spiraled into a few poor performances in games after, leaving fans scratching their heads. However, the Lobos took care of business against Wisconsin – The Badgers battled to threaten the lead several times, but New Mexico stayed focused and composed, earning the win. This particular group has so much potential – but it is up to them to consistently perform and translate that potential to success this season.