Record: 27-6, 15-3 Mountain West
Best wins: vs San Diego State (twice), vs Cincinnati
Worst losses: vs UMass (by 16 points), at Boise State
Best player: Cameron Bairstow. The 6-foot-9 forward from Australia paced the Lobos with a rock-solid 20.3 PPG and 7.4 RPG, all while shooting a stout 55.6 percent from the floor. Dwight Powell may have to follow him around the floor all day on Friday to match his size, athleticism and persistence down low. Bairstow hardly ever scores less than 20 points - and when he does, he scores 17 - so keeping him from cleaning the glass will be imperative.
Other best player: Kendall Williams. The MVP of the Mountain West tournament averages 16.4 PPG this season, and he stepped it up in the Mountain West tourney, scoring 17, 16, then 16 points in the final to upset San Diego State. Chasson Randle is a little more prolific scorer than Williams, but he doesn't have Williams' size either. How these two match wits will play a major role in Friday's matchup.
Coach: Craig Neal spent the last 6 years as Steve Alford's right-hand man in Albuquerque (and the 3 before that with Alford at Iowa), and so far he's been nothing but a success in his first time as a head coach. Before he was a college assistant, he spent time working for Lenny Wilkens and the Toronto Raptors.
Recent NCAA tournament results: The Lobos were upset by #14 seed Harvard in the first round a year ago (after a 29-5 season, to boot), but they beat Long Beach State in the first round two years ago.
History vs Stanford: 1-2 vs the Cardinal. These two schools have not played since 2001, an 81-66 Stanford win.