AP Photo/Jake Schoellkopf

J.R. Giddens is having a superb all-around senior season at New Mexico.

Key Shot

By Andy Katz
ESPN.com

J.R. Giddens' game really hasn't changed. His numbers aren't much different, either, from last season to this one.

His points are the same at 15 a game, his rebounding is up by two per game, and his shooting percentages have climbed a tad.

Yet Giddens' attitude and his response to the change in the coaching staff from Ritchie McKay to Steve Alford somehow created a spark that was missing when he transferred from Kansas.

Tuesday night, Giddens put down an exclamation point on his New Mexico home career with a 17-point, 15-rebound, 5-assist outing in a 59-45 victory over UNLV. And Giddens' production in a rocking, sold-out Pit means the Lobos are still in play for an at-large berth with a 23-7 overall record and 10-5 mark in the Mountain West.

The Lobos end the regular season at MWC-winless Colorado State on Saturday.

New Mexico has now won six more conference games than last season. Giddens' steady play is a big reason for that. So what's different for him?

"They gave me a chance to be myself, and I've got a better relationship with the coaches and players," Giddens said by phone late Tuesday night from Albuquerque.

Alford couldn't agree more.

"He's been a great teammate, he's been very unselfish," said Alford by phone Tuesday.

Alford said he does think that Giddens' desire to be in the NBA, and the knowledge that Alford and top assistant Craig Neal have NBA experience, helped smooth the relationship. Alford said Giddens should be the player of the year in the MWC, adding that the senior has been "unreal."

But there is a bigger prize the Lobos are pushing for in the next week: an NCAA Tournament berth.

Losing on Feb. 26 in a one-point overtime loss to BYU could have been a crushing defeat. Alford said he gave the Lobos two days off to collect their thoughts before focusing on UNLV. It worked. The Rebels (22-7, 11-4 MWC) scored a season low in the first half (22) and in the final result.

And for the second straight game, the Lobos sold out the Pit.

"That's as good as it's been here the past three years," said Giddens, who sat out a season after transferring from KU. "And I'm saying that coming from a place like Phog Allen. It was a big-time college atmosphere."

Will this translate into an NCAA bid? If the Lobos beat CSU for 11 MWC wins, 24 overall and eight road wins (with one in Fort Collins on Saturday), then they would be NCAA worthy, Alford said.

Alford, who passed Dave Bliss' 1988-89 win total for the most victories by a first-year UNM coach, admitted the lack of big-time nonconference wins could hurt the team. UNLV is still in competition for an at-large bid and could face New Mexico again in a semifinal matchup in the conference tournament in Las Vegas. So, the Lobos may have to beat UNLV again to feel comfortable about an at-large bid.

"Nobody knows about us," Alford said of the lack of national television exposure. "This team has been phenomenal. I've had a fun year."

Key Notes

By Jason McCallum
ESPN Research

• Michael Beasley scored 33 points and had 14 rebounds in Kansas State's 78-72 home win over Colorado. It was the last home game for the Wildcats -- and perhaps Beasley's career. In 17 games at Bramlage Coliseum, Beasley scored at least 30 points eight times and recorded 15 double-doubles. He averaged 28.4 ppg and 13.2 rpg at home.

• Tyler Hansbrough had 20 points in North Carolina's 90-77 home win over Florida State. Hansbrough had at least 20 points in 13 of the Tar Heels' 16 home games this season. During the contest, he passed Antawn Jamison and Larry Miller to move into sixth place on North Carolina's career scoring list. He has 1,985 points in his career and is poised to get to 2,000 in Cameron Indoor Stadium against Duke on Saturday (ESPN, 9 ET).

• The Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks won 101-94 in triple overtime over Samford to advance to the Ohio Valley Conference semifinals. Over the past 10 seasons, the Skyhawks had played three games in the month of March and were 0-3. They'll play top-seeded Austin Peay in the semifinals on Friday.

• Lester Hudson had 28 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists for the Skyhawks. This was the 14th time this season a Division I player had at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a game -- and Hudson has done it three times. VMI's Reggie Williams and IUPUI's George Hill are the only other players to do it more than once. Each has done it twice.

• And while Hudson is usually the star when the Skyhawks take the floor, another stellar performance was put on by freshman Marquis Weddle. He scored a career-high 39 points in the win and committed zero turnovers. Only Troy's O'Darien Bassett (42) and Virginia's Sean Singletary (41) have scored more points this season in a game where they did not turn the ball over.

• New Mexico beat UNLV 59-45 in the Pit. The Runnin' Rebels have played 175 conference games over the past dozen seasons, and their two lowest point totals have been at the Pit. Two seasons ago, they lost 47-39 on March 1. They scored 45 points in the loss on Tuesday.

• Kent State beat Miami (Ohio) 50-39. The last time the Golden Flashes held an opponent to only 39 points was when they beat Urbana 93-39 on Nov. 24, 2002. Kent State's leading scorer in that game was current Chargers tight end Antonio Gates, who tallied 19 points.

• During the Kent State win, Golden Flash guard Al Fisher had a career-high 10 turnovers. He is the 11th player this season to commit at least 10 turnovers in a home game. Surprisingly, those home teams have overcome the turnover troubles for the most part. They are 7-4 when a player reaches double digits in turnovers.

• VMI lost 103-88 to Liberty, ending the career of senior forward Reggie Williams. Williams scored 30 points and ends his career with 2,556 points -- good for 37th on the all-time scoring list in Division I history. He began the night in 49th place and passed Johnny Dawkins, Keith Van Horn, Calvin Murphy and Sean Elliott (among others) during his final game.