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Women's NCAA tournament: Lobos are mirror of foe Phoenix
Next game
Matchup: No. 8 seed New Mexico (24-8) vs. No. 9 seed Wisconsin-Green Bay (28-3)
Site: Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Conn.
Game time: 5 p.m. Sunday
On the air: ESPN2; KNML-AM (610) with Mike Roberts
Tickets: $75 for six games. On sale through host school University of Connecticut at uconnhuskies.com or toll free, (877) 288-2666. Limited number of tickets are available at the UNM Ticket Office, 925-5626.
Travel deals: The Lobo Club has set up a five-day, four-night travel package for fans. It includes a round-trip ticket; tickets for six games; four nights at the team hotel, the Crowne Plaza; and transportation to and from the Hartford Airport. For more information, call Classic Travel at 888-4454.
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They're not quite identical twins.
But by all accounts, the University of New Mexico and Wisconsin-Green Bay women's basketball programs definitely could be related.
The eighth-seeded Lobos (24-8) and ninth-seeded Phoenix (28-4) meet Sunday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Hartford, Conn.
"I think in a lot of areas, our programs are mirror images of each other," Wisconsin-Green Bay coach Kevin Borseth said. "Our styles seem to be pretty similar. We're pretty blue-collar, hardworking and overachieving teams."
It should be an even brawl, on par with the Lobos' showdowns with Mountain West Conference rivals BYU and Wyoming.
Graham Hayes, an analyst for ESPN.com, rated the Lobos-Phoenix matchup the best first-round game of the tournament.
Northern Arizona coach Laurie Kelly, whose team was the only one that faced both UNM and Wisconsin-Green Bay this season, said basketball fans shouldn't miss the showdown.
"I watched the selection show with my assistant coaches, and we all said that New Mexico and Wisconsin-Green Bay would be a great game," she said. "I think it will be a lot of fun to watch them play because they have such similar styles."
The foundation of the Phoenix's program ought to sound familiar to Lobos fans.
"I think the two biggest things Coach emphasizes are taking care of the ball and playing great team defense," senior point guard Natalie Berglin said. "I think everything else comes from there. We work hard, and we work really well together as a team."
The Phoenix are riding a 25-game winning streak, claiming both the Horizon League's regular-season and tournament titles.
Wisconsin-Green Bay boasts strong inside and perimeter play.
Nicole Soulis, a 6-foot-2 senior forward, leads the team in scoring with 16.8 points per game, while two guards in the starting lineup also average double-figure scoring.
The Lobos and Phoenix both have similar half-court attacks, with Wisconsin-Green Bay averaging more points per game thanks to a weaker year for its foes in the Horizon League.
"I think we have been pretty successful so far this year because we've been consistent," Soulis said. "We have kept our focus and stayed hungry every game."
Borseth said he sees the same swagger in UNM's starters as in the players leading his team.
"We're in the same boat because all those players are very focused and have a tremendous will to win," he said. "They handle pressure well, they have strong leadership distributed throughout the team, and they play without reservation."
UNM and Wisconsin-Green Bay picked up wins when they faced Kelly's Northern Arizona team. The Lobos won 62-51 in The Pit on Dec. 21, while the Phoenix won 75-64 in Flagstaff on Nov. 25.
"A lot has changed since we played them both in the nonconference, but I still think they have a lot of things in common," Kelly said. "They both are physical and fundamentally sound teams. They both have a great post presence and guards who can knock down shots if you don't close out on them quickly. They are both well-coached, and they both expect to win because they come from pretty established programs."
They share many traits, but the Lobos and Phoenix also have a few major differences.
In 25 years of coaching, Borseth said he has never deployed a full-court press.
"I won't give out a scouting report, but I can definitely say if we ran a press, it would be a surprise to me," Borseth said.
The Phoenix also seem to be cut out of a mold of previous UNM teams and less like the athletic lineup anchored by junior forward Dionne Marsh and senior forward Timi E-Nunu.
The Lobos happen to be taller than Wisconsin-Green Bay at most positions, especially in the backcourt.
Kelly said she could give UNM an edge in at least one category.
"New Mexico plays in a much tougher conference," she said. "It happened to be a down year for Wisconsin-Green Bay's conference, and I think it's been a long time since they've really been tested by anyone. New Mexico had to deal with a lot of great teams like BYU and Utah.
"But I still couldn't pick a winner. It could go either way."
