Talking Grammer

In Episode 85 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I sit down with UNM Lobo men's basketball coach Richard Pitino to talk about the past season, the current offseason and the 2024-25 season ahead. The Lobos broke a decade-long NCAA Tournament drought but now with NIL and the transfer portal changing how rosters are maintained and how coaches handle the spring, what is the plan of attack for the Lobos?

In Episode 84 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I join the Field of 68 crew of Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman for their weekly Mountain West Insider podcast where we preview the six Mountain West teams — New Mexico, Colorado State, Boise State, Nevada, Utah State and San Diego State — that made the NCAA Tournament and talk about their first games and potential paths out of the first weekend.

In Episode 83 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I recap UNM's Saturday loss at Utah State, final conference standings, go over the All-Mountain West awards from the media poll and preview the Mountain West Tournament, from breaking down each of Wednesday's opening round games and potential quarterfinal matchups to reviewing win probabilities for all 11 teams and giving you my always so accurate tournament predictions. • 3:40 -- UNM's Donovan Dent on Boise State's Max Rice • 6:40 -- Recapping Saturday's dramatic UNM at Utah State regular season finale • 14:40 -- UNM's Richard Pitino asked about the end-game referee mistake in Logan • 18:40 -- Nevada's Steve Alford congratulates Utah State on league title • 19:20 -- Recapping final standings/tournament seedings • 22:55 -- Run down on All-Mountain West teams (media poll) • 29:10 -- Breaking down MW Tournament probabilities for all 11 teams • 33:10 -- Breakdown No. 8 Wyoming/No. 9 Fresno State • 39:30 -- Breakdown No. 7 Colorado State/No. 10 San Jose State • 45:50 -- Breakdown No. 6 New Mexico/No. 11 Air Force • 58:45 -- Breakdown Thursday quarterfinal No. 4 UNLV/No. 5 San Diego State and top half of bracket • 1:03:55 -- Breakdown potential CSU/Nevada quarterfinal matchup • 1:05:50 -- Breakdown potential UNM/Boise State quarterfinal matchup

In Episode 82 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I have a conversation with Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez (starts at 8:50 mark). We talk about the fantastic men's basketball season the league has had enjoyed, how many teams might make the NCAA Tournament, traditional power conferences taking shots at leagues "gaming" the NET rankings and about the future of the league, including the ever-present topic of conference expansion.

In Episode 81 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I have a conversation with businessman, radio analyst and Lobo hoops legend Hunter Greene (7:35 mark) about his unique perspective calling games for the past decade. We dive into some Lobo hoops memories, including lots of Kelvin Scarborough talk, and his thoughts on the current Lobos, from Saturday's loss to Air Force to current players passing him in the record books.

In Episode 80 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I talk Lobo hoops, JT Toppin's case for all-league, and have a conversation with one of the best to play in the Mountain West, Colorado State point guard Isaiah Stevens (9:00 mark). We talk his career, his future, his go-to candy after road wins and some Mountain West memories.

In Episode 79 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I talk Mountain West and UNM basketball and have a conversation with Nevada Wolf Pack head coach Steve Alford (16:20 mark) about his team, the depth of the league, being a grandpa and this week's rematch with the Lobos.

In Episode 78 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I talk with SI.com's Kevin Sweeney about NCAA Tournament bracketology for the Mountain West conference and the UNM Lobos. Are they in? Are they out? Does any of this really matter in the first week of February? (Nevada 12:00, BSU 14:20, CSU 18:00, USU 21:00, SDSU 28:35, UNM 31:20).

In Episode 77 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I talk with BJ Rains, Publisher of Bronco Nation News in Boise, covering the Boise State Broncos. We talk the media landscape covering Mountain West level programs, his recent power rankings that drew criticism from some fan (including plenty of angry Lobo fans), and of course Wednesday night's big Boise State Broncos/UNM Lobo men's basketball game in the Pit.

In Episode 76 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I talk about UNM Lobo basketball breaking into the AP Top 25 rankings, JT Toppin winning his sixth Mountain West Freshman of the Week and have a conversation (11:30 mark) with Lobo forward Mustapha Amzil, the Dayton transfer who put a rough start to the season behind him to become a key piece of the UNM puzzle right now. We talk about his soccer background, his buzzer beater to beat Kansas while playing for Dayton, whether or not his teammates appreciate Finnish rap music and about the proper way to pronounce his name.

In Episode 75 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I talk Mountain West hoops and have a conversation (11 minute mark) with Danny Sprinkle, the head coach of the No. 16 Utah State Aggies before the UNM-Utah State game in the Pit on Jan. 16. The first-year USU coach has his program out to a 16-1 start and atop the Mountain West standings. Danny and I talk about that fantastic start, his having two former Lobo assistants on his staff and the meaning and importance to his program of UBUNTU.

In Episode 74 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I have a conversation with former Eldorado Eagles state champion and three-year UNM Lobo Cullen Neal, who is in his second season as Director of Player Development and Video Coordinator for the Rice Owls, who play in this week's Ball Dawgs Classic in Henderson, Nev., along with the UNM Lobos. We talk about basketball, including his time with and departure from the UNM Lobos, playing for his dad, Craig Neal, at UNM and how life is now as a father, husband and aspiring coach himself.

In Episode 73 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I have a conversation with former UNM Lobos hoops star Hugh Greenwood. The fan favorite, 4-year starter from Australia is back in Albuquerque visiting friends and the family of his Albuquerque-native wife, Kjiersten Straub, ahead of the upcoming Australia Football League season, where he will start his ninth season as a professionally footballer (playing "footie", not hoops and not American football). We talk his current sport, catching up with old friends and some fun memories of his time as a Lobo.

In Episode 72 of the Talking Grammer podcast, I joined Rob Dauster of the Feld of 68, as a guest on the debut show of the Mountain West Insider podcast for a season preview of the college basketball season ahead. We talk NCAA Tournament hopefuls in the conference, top players and top storylines for the 2023-24 season. The Field of 68's weekly Mountain West podcast is available on their YouTube page while this episode is also available as part of the Talking Grammer podcast.

In Episode 71 of the Talking Grammer podcast, we have a conversation with Jason Hooten, the new men's basketball coach of the New Mexico State Aggies. We talk with Jason about taking on a new job after 19 seasons at Sam Houston State, the unenviable task of rebuilding a program from scratch with an entirely new roster and coaching staff, he tells us about his family and he breaks down a little bit of what fans can expect on the court this season as NMSU tries to turn the page on the tumultuous season a year ago.

In Episode 70 of the Talking Grammer podcast, we have a conversation with Matt Flores, the third-year strength and conditioning coach of the UNM Lobo men's basketball team about what his job entails, his background as a player, Marine and father, and how it is working for the second time with head coach Richard Pitino. And who was on the McDonald's cheeseburger diet last year as the team desperately tried adding weight to one player's frame?

In Episode 69 of the Talking Grammer podcast, we have a conversation with Kurt Roth, the founder and president of the 505 Sports Venture Foundation, the collective spearheading college athlete compensation efforts for the University of New Mexico. We talk the law, the ever changing landscape of the NCAA's oversight, how Lobo athletes are taking advantage, recruiting and the relationship between the collective and UNM itself.

In Episode 68 of the Talking Grammer podcast, we have a conversation with Mr. Basketball in New Mexico, Brandon Mason, who played in the state for the NMSU Aggies and New Mexico Thunderbirds, coached collegiately with the UNM Lobos, NMSU Aggies and New Mexico Highlands and is now is the President and Coach of NCAA-accredited ABC Prep and dozens of youth club teams under the Albuquerque Basketball Club umbrella.

In Episode 67 of the Talking Grammer podcast, we have a conversation with UNM Director of Athletics Eddie Nuñez on his background as a college athlete, playing basketball with Nick Saban, coming to UNM at a time the athletics department was underneath a mountain of public and state scrutiny, the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, Name Image and Likeness, and the future of UNM Athletics, including basketball and football.

In Episode 66 of the Talking Grammer podcast, we have a conversation with all-Mountain West guard Jamal Mashburn Jr., the UNM Lobos' third-year captain who said he is in his "Deion mode" for the interview, donning sunglasses and talking about the season ahead, his bond with his famous father, how writing and reading helps his mental well-being and much more.