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In trying to help Lobos coach Don Flanagan measure - or admit to - the severe frustration level he must be battling, there are stats and facts to throw his way.

His University of New Mexico Lobos are 0-3 in The Pit in league games.

His Lobos scored 38 points in their last game (the entire last game).

They lost to a Brigham Young team that got hammered by 54 points in its previous two games.

Pit attendance is threatening to be the lowest in nine seasons.

His Lobos are averaging 60.7 points on offense.

UNM is shooting .378 percent from the field.

The 60.7 points isn't such a horrible thing when you toss in the UNM defense, which gives up 52.8 points. Not a bad margin.

The .378 shooting marks the second-worst in the Mountain West, just ahead of lowly 2-16 Colorado State.

But the top numbers that accentuate Flanagan's potential for frustration are UNM's 10-9 overall and 2-4 MWC marks.

If things don't turn around, Flanagan could be looking at his worst season since his first season (14-5, 6-8) or his second season (18-10, 8-8) as a Lobo.

But Flanagan is quick to quell any notion of frustration.

"I'm not frustrated, but I realize we have a challenge," he said. "If I was frustrated, I don't think that would be an effective way to coach.

"My philosophy is not to be frustrated with a team."

Sounds fair. But what about some of the parts of that team?

Like offense?

"Right now, our major problem is we're not scoring," he said. "I think people have figured us out, and they know our offensive areas of strength, and they overload on that."

The overload strategy against UNM is obvious: Double-down on 6-foot-1 Dionne Marsh inside and don't let her use her quickness or her mobility; get in 5-6 Amy Beggin's face and don't let her shoot open 3s.

Then see if the rest of the Lobos pack can beat you.

BYU did that Saturday in The Pit in the Cougars' 41-38 upset.

"BYU has never played us soft," Flanagan said. "But I thought we'd be able to beat them.

"One of the things our players have to realize is we've had a lot of success, and everyone wants to beat us. They (Lobos) have to be ready for those kinds of efforts."

If you had to trace Flanagan's almost-frustration to a certain point, the trail might lead to the preseason injury to Nikki Nelson.

Nelson is the hot-shot freshman ballhandler who was expected to give Beggin instant help on the perimeter and maybe even allow Beggin to be more of a shooting guard.

If Nelson came through, that also would have extended defenses and given Marsh more room to roam.

Nelson blew out a knee and is out for the season. Defenses are collapsing on Marsh. Beggin is the only proven threat outside.

Things need to change. Other players need to step up.

Or Flanagan might learn how to be frustrated.

"I have some youth, and I also have some players who aren't playing at the level I expected them to play at," he said.

"I might get frustrated with certain areas of the game or maybe certain players, but not with the team."

Well, not yet. But Flanagan and his Lobos still have at least 11 games to go.