http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd88-c_ArlA

Craig "Noodles" Neal cuts down the net for the 2013 MWC Conference champions

It's official. Previously-titled UNM men's basketball assistant coach Craig "Noodles" Neal will take the reigns as the program's head coach heading into the 2013-2014 season. Neal quickly became a favorite for the position following Steve Alford's sudden departure from the position as he accepted the title of head coach for the UCLA Bruins.

Neal, who followed Alford to New Mexico from Iowa, has received an overwhelming vote of confidence from college basketball experts, as well as from players, fans and students at UNM.

Here's hoping Noodles' noodle is up for the challenge!

• alford
• lobos
• unm basketball
• craig neal
• noodles

Websites that love April Fools Day.

Lobo fans are caught off guard by Steve Alford’s departure.

California highway patrol officer pulled over the Easter Bunny for not wearing a helmet while riding his motorcycle.

Prosecuters will seek death penalty against James Holmes.

Cory Monteith checks himself into rehab.

4th Street has reopened after suspicious package scare.

CBS shows restraint in their coverage of Kevin ware’s gruesome injury.

Sneaky food pranks!

NM Governor Susana Martinez is in Rome.

Mister Turtle the tortoise is safe and sound in Santa Fe.

An exhibit featuring items from the Titanic opens in Albuquerque this Saturday.

Check out this big old Bull Durham building sign.

Michael Bloomberg wants retailers to keep tobacco products out of plain view, like they do in Canada.

How to maybe win rock/paper/scissors.

"A whole bunch of large, menopausal rats..."

Rochester Police employ the lost art of letter writing.

North Carolina has extensive rules for MMA fights.

Mark E. Smith quotes.

It is the tenth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Possible chemical weapons attack in Syria.

The number 3 seed Lobos will face Harvard in Salt Lake City.

The release date of Jobs has been pushed back indefinitely.

A body and a bags of bombs were found in a dorm room at the University of Central Florida.

An APD officer was shot yesterday during and investigation near San Mateo and Gibson.

A violin that was played as the Titanic sank has resurfaced.

New Mexico baby receives life saving organ donation days before his first birthday.

Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist, the last survivor of the plot to assassinate Hitler has died at age 90.

Record breaking thumbs up!

Pope Francis’ first day on the job.

Also, apparently the election of Pope Francis has resurfaced a decades-old controversy surrounding the kidnappings of two Jesuit priests.

Gov. Martinez has signed into law two bills to better protect police dogs.

Another Carnival cruise ship with another problem.

Another alternative paper bites the dust.

The president of Albuquerque’s city council thinks it’s time for police chief Ray Schultz to go.

It’s Mountain West tourney time, kids.

This map shows where all of your favorite TV shows take place.

http://youtu.be/kJDxz0Lc8Aw

 

The University of New Mexico Lobos basketball team has continued to climb in the national rankings, rising to number 12 this week in the AP top 25. With only two games left in their regular season, now is the right time for the Lobos to be making that climb. On Wednesday, UNM plays at Nevada. While no team should ever be overlooked, nor any game looked past, the Wolf Pack currently sit in the basement of the Mountain West Conference rankings and have only won 12 games all season. If the Lobos can get past Nevada, the Air Force Falcons wait in Colorado Springs on Saturday night for the conference finale. If both of those games fall in the W category, things will look pretty good come Monday, when the next rankings are released, and it would be reasonable to expect a little bump before the MWC Tournament begins in Las Vegas on March 12.

The focus in the team's locker room, of course, will remain solidly committed to the sports cliché of “one game at a time” and never looking past any opponent. But that's not something that we have to pretend to indulge in, so let’s let the speculation run rampant! If UNM does what they should and wins out in Nevada and Colorado Springs, they'll have a clear path to a 1 seed in the MWC Tournament—not to mention the early rumblings of their deserving a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. If they can manage to run the gamut of the MWC, they'll earn the automatic berth into the Big Dance, and Selection Sunday will be an interesting day to say the least.

Of course, nothing is automatic. Nothing is promised or guaranteed. But, if the standings stay as they are, UNM will play either Nevada or Fresno State on March 13, followed by either San Diego State or Boise State on March 14. The path to the MWC Championship Game and the automatic berth looks possible. More appealing than the auto-entry to the tournament, though, is the prospect of reeling off all those wins in a row and entering March Madness with all that momentum on the side of the Cherry and Silver. While there will always be anonymous commentators who dismiss any non-major conference team's placement in the national rankings (don't even think about reading the comments on Gonzaga's recent ascent to number one if you want to retain faith in your fellow humans), the numbers are pretty solid on the side of the Lobos in this case. With an RPI of 2 right now, and a strength of schedule of 3, the data-driven amongst the selection committee have to be looking very hard at UNM.

College basketball is a game of runs and momentum. UNM taking care of business in its non-conference schedule was the first step. The Lobos are now close to finished with taking care of business during the in-conference schedule. Next up, the MWC conference tournament. After that, who knows how far these boys could go? With the right momentum, match-ups and seeding, it could be an unprecedented time.

Elections in Kenya have already left 15 people dead.

The names of the Angel Fire plane crash victims have been released.

Evidence that it is time to stop making Harlem Shake videos.

An Albuquerque Subway was hit with a red sticker after a routine inspection.

Police are searching the driver in a hit-and-run that resulted in the death of expectant parents and their baby.

The Lobos are MWC champions!

The house where a man was swallowed by a sinkhole is being demolished.

This Florida church looks like a chicken.

Will Fox

Holly Holm at the Bellator 91 press conference

In recent years, Bellator fighting championships has solidified its hold as the nation’s #2 Mixed Martial Arts promotion, behind only the UFC in terms of revenue and exciting fights. Well, revenue, anyway. After last Thursday’s Bellator 90, in which there were six fights and six finishes on the main card alone, Bellator has strengthened an already compelling argument that it can deliver the goods.

This coming Thursday, Feb 28—as in, the day after tomorrow—Bellator is coming to the Santa Ana Star Casino in Bernalillo. Several local fighters are on the card, including boxer Holly Holm, who will be taking her third MMA fight against Katie Merrill.

Holm comes in as a favorite, at least in terms of hometown sentiment and big fight experience. But in the world of MMA, both Holm and Merrill are newbies. Merrill has a ground game, if she can get the fight there. Holm, one would expect, wants to keep it standing. The decorated boxer has a mean kicking game as well as boxing, having ended her first MMA fight via kicks to her opponents’ legs. Holm’s world-class striking will be a lethal asset as long as she can stay on her feet. If she gets tested on her back, the hometown crowd will surely be gritting its teeth.

However evenly matched it is, Holm has the most to lose. Just ask Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, who came in as a heavy favorite and ended up on the wrong end of a highlight-reel knockout. “Mo” came out with his hands low, as if he believed merely having Jeff Mayweather in his corner would grant him powers of immunity. Emanuel Newton ended that fantasy with a perfectly placed spinning backfist that hit the “off switch” as perfectly as a single punch could.

Holm, we assume, won’t be bogged down with that kind of hubris, even though she has an even better striking coach in her corner, Mike Winkeljohn. And I can attest that she will come in shape. I saw her last night at Wink’s Gym, where she trains and teaches a weekly cardio heavy bag class. (She won’t be teaching this Thursday; the gym will be closed because everyone will be at the fight).

She wasn’t there to train last night, but to hold pads for a teammate. I briefly chatted with her, and she was relaxed. She may have a lot more to lose than her opponent, but if she couldn’t handle that kind of pressure, she wouldn’t be a fighter.

Tomorrow, look here for updates on some of the other local fighters on Thursday’s Bellator card at Santa Ana Star.

Ex-LAPD officer a triple-murder suspect.

Rihanna accompanied Chris Brown to court to support him during his probation hearing as a result of his 2009 assault case for beating her.

Lobos sail past Air Force 81-58 to remain high atop the Mountain West standings.

Statewide texting and driving ban has not yet cleared the senate judiciary committee.

CBS thinks maybe it’s time for ladies on the red carpet to cover up a bit more.

Patrick Leach, son of Barney creator Sheryl Leach, charged with attempted murder.

Santa Fe man accused of biting his girlfriend’s toe down to the bone.

This cat is dressed up as Walter White.

Griego family offers a statement on 15-year-old Nehemiah, say he was a " bright, curious, and incredibly talented young man."

Man charged in shooting at a community college in Houston that left 4 injured.

Manti Te'o chats with Katie Couric.

Lobos host the CSU Rams at the Pit tonight.

Is it a turkey, is a crane? Mystery bird spotted at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Rescue.

Charlie Brown voice actor arrested with charges of stalking.

Tipsy mother of three got stuck in her son's high chair following a girls' night and had to be rescued by local fire department.

Who's excited for Iron Man 3? Could just be me.

• long lane shooting
• griego
• katie couric
• manti te'o
• lobos
• unm basketball
• bosque del apache
• charlie brown
• iron man
• the daily word

 

With the Lobos' victory over the Valparaiso Cruisaders last weekend, they improved to 10-0, their best start since going 12-0 back in 2009. Fans are extremely happy because there is a high chance that they can at least match that opening record this season.

This Lobo team is just as deep as last year's and possibly even deeper. Alex Kirk sat last season out due to an injury, but has started this season off with some exciting play that has helped earn the Lobos the number 17 spot in the Associated Press top 25.

"They are being mentally challenged right now," head coach Steve Alford said in the post-USC victory radio interview in reference to the final exams that the players were focusing on. But he admitted that they would also be physically challenged in attempt to keep their undefeated record alive. Challenging the players during finals week paid off with another victory, and we'll just have to wait and see how it affected them academically.

The next three games that the Lobos play are games against unranked opponents that should add more victories to their impressive resume. In fact, the next game that should pose any challenge will be when they face the 11th ranked Cincinnati Bearcats on the road. Starting with this game on the Dec 27th, the Lobo's schedule will increase in difficulty as they move into conference play soon afterwards.

This year, the Mountain West Conference is arguably the most competitive it has ever been. While the Lobos are definitely one of the best teams in the conference, there are several teams that would like to take the conference championship away from them this year.  

San Diego State is currently ranked just below the Lobos in the AP top 25. This makes sense considering last year the Lobos were able to win two out of three matches against the Aztecs. There are also the UNLV Runnin' Rebels and the Wyoming Cowboys who are going to give the Lobos tough matches. While Wyoming is not currently ranked, there is a good chance that they will be because they are receiving votes in both the AP top 25 and the USA Today Coaches polls and have also started out with a perfect 10-0.  

With high expectations this year, the Lobos are going to have to practice hard and show some true resilience as they face the stiff competition of conference play.

Winter is here, New Mexico.

A U.S. drone strike has reportedly killed a senior Al Qaeda leader near the Afghan border.

An undercover APD officer says he nabbed a father soliciting a prostitute who had left his 3 small children alone in a cold car in a motel parking lot.

Chinese police chief fired after being accused of keeping twin sisters as mistresses.

Lobos achieve a 10-0 record after beating Valparaiso. The final score was 65-52 and Alford's pack forced 23 turnovers.

Woman accused of attempting to rob a Wells Fargo on Montgomery is now in federal custody.

Australian DJs "gutted, shattered and heartbroken" over aftermath of their prank call to Kate's hospital.

Mexican singer Jenni Rivera died along with 6 others after the crash of a small plane.

Life before and after cell phones.

Apple Maps isn't just annoying, it's downright dangerous.

Registered sex offender Santa Claus.

Gun found in a package of frozen meat at a grocery store in Roswell.

Canadian lunch lady accused of assaulting a group of students.

The internet sensation that is the Ikea Monkey.

• ikea
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• kate
• al qaeda
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• lobos
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• santa claus

• WWC3P0D? (sloppy) [ Mon Dec 10 2012 10:30 AM ]
  

Save money, but be safe.

The supreme court has revived a Christian college's challenge to Obamacare.

Lobos hold it together for a 69-54 win over Portland to take record to 6-0.

Just how bad was Lindsay Lohan's new movie?

Real ID Act has some New Mexicans scrambling to get their passports.

Woman arrested after reportedly riding a manatee for thrills.

A clown collapsed and died while blowing up balloons at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

A Black Friday shopper died after being tackled by Wal-Mart eployees.

Man parked on a median off of Academy charged with his fourth DWI.

A NASA astronaut and Russian cosmonaut will spend a full year aboard the ISS to study how the human body reacts and adapts to the space environment.

SpaceX founder wants to help colonize Mars.

Christmas lights Gangnam style.

60-square-mile Sandy Island shown on Google maps does not appear to actually exist.

Five members of the LANL security force fired for "improper use of a live fire shooting range."

What our friends would be like if they were cats and dogs.

Pinterest fails.

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A Santa Fe jail was a martial arts arena.

Monkeys and mid-life crises.

R. Kelly on Broadway.

The botox poker face.

Chinese sex toys.

Sleeping Beauty Syndrome.

Charlize Theron got a buzzcut.

45% of America wants to skip Christmas.

Kate Moss’ bird tattoos were done by painter Lucien Freud.

PSYOPS mission patches!

Slow motion dancing water drips.

Weird cars of 2012.

Leftover Halloween candy recipes. (At what point does candy become “leftover” candy?)

Rich people amuse themselves with fancy things.

Draw eyes on your hands!

What made you sad?

Want to play soccer?

Ban killer robots.

The mystery of the Bloop has been solved.

You can cut a Christmas tree.

Happy birthday Sean Young.

Thanks to Constance Moss, Susan Petersen and Tom Nayder for the help!