The dream included conference championships and NCAA Tournaments and -- why not? -- even a run to the Final Four. Ruben Douglas thinks big thoughts and takes big shots. He always has.

"When I was a freshman at Arizona, we played at New Mexico in The Pit and they beat us," says Douglas. "To see the way New Mexico fans supported their team ... it was just like what we saw in Tucson every game. So when I made the decision to leave, (New Mexico) was the first place I thought about.

	Ruben Douglas is averaging a staggering 32.5 ppg in four MWC games.

"I thought we'd be a Top 25 program, but it hasn't worked out that way. But I know that wherever life takes me from here, I'll be better for going through this experience. Sometimes, all the trials and tribulations just end up making you that much stronger."

Things continue to be much different in Albuquerque than years past, where a program once synonymous with NCAA Tournament berths and one of the nation's most intimidating homecourt advantages is now consistently an underdog, home or away.

The Lobos are the lone Mountain West Conference team with a losing record at 7-10, and sit tied for last at 1-3 in league play. Ritchie McKay is the first-year coach who inherited the program from Fran Fraschilla, whose 55-41 record and no NCAA trips over three seasons led to him stepping down last March.

And through all the adversity, the 6-foot-5 Douglas has remained a constant.

The senior guard is averaging 26.2 points (third nationally) overall and a stunning 32.5 in conference. He scored a career-high 40 in a home loss to UNLV on Monday. And in the process of producing such numbers, he has become a near genius in recognizing defensive schemes.

"I have seen everything, from a box-and-one to being triple teamed to guys challenging every move I make," said Douglas. "I just have to take it as a challenge each time out. There is not a lot of margin for error on our team. Some nights, we have to be almost perfect just to stay in games.

"I have to come out with a lot of energy every night. If I miss my first five shots, I can't let it affect me. I can't get down. I have to keep in the game and keep shooting.'

Shoot, he does. Again and always.

Douglas has attempted 339 shots, 157 more than the next Lobo. He has taken 142 three-pointers; the next closest is guard Javin Tindall at 76. Douglas shoots 40.7 percent from the field, not terrible considering the number of attempts.

"Ruben doesn't really score a lot off screens," says San Diego State assistant coach Brian Dutcher, whose team held Douglas to 4-of-17 shooting in a New Mexico victory last Saturday. "He'll use screens to get space, but then he faces you and it's one-on-one. It's really hard to give any help on him.

"He's a very good offensive player. He can shoot the three, he can score at the basket, he gets to the free-throw line, he has a good mid-range game … I think he likes the idea that going into any game, he gets to shoot 25 times. But like most players, I'm sure he'd give up half those shots for 10 more wins."

Douglas concurs. In fact, he never expected the statistics to be this one-sided. How could he?

McKay's initial season after arriving from Oregon State began poorly and has never really improved. Shelton Colwell, a 6-9 junior-college transfer and needed inside presence, failed to qualify academically. Patrick Dennehy, a 6-9 post recruited by Fraschilla, walked out of McKay's first practice and eventually transferred to Baylor.

From there, injuries have taken much of New Mexico's potential.

The worst came when point guard Senque Carey suffered a spinal cord injury less than two games into his senior season. Carey had surgery earlier in the week and rehab could last more than a year.

"You know, we've had hard time on and off the floor,'' said Douglas. "When (Carey) went down, a good friend, another fifth-year senior who had been through the wars and who I planned on winning a lot of games with this season … it just put everything in perspective.

"So now I play every game as if it's my last. I cherish every game. We know the fans and the city want us to win more than ever. We're trying hard, man. We're working hard. I still think the future is very bright here. I believe this will one day be a very good program again.''

He has done his best to set a high standard, for sure.

Games of the Week

San Diego at Gonzaga Thursday The top two teams in West Coast Conference play meet in Spokane, where the Bulldogs (14-5, 5-0) try and build on their lead over the Toreros (9-8, 3-1). Gonzaga is 31-2 in WCC play over the past three seasons. Its best conference start was 12-0 in 2001. USD has won three straight and offers the league's No. 2 scorer in Jason Blair (20.2 ppg) and its leading rebounder in Jason Keep (9.2 rpg) for conference games. Cal at Arizona Saturday The Bears better bring their defense in what could be a battle for first place at the midway point of conference play. Consider: Arizona (which hosts Stanford on Thursday) is 73-7 since the beginning of the 1998-99 season when scoring at least 80 points. Cal (at ASU on Thursday) enters the week having won eight straight and is 4-0 on opponents' homecourts this season. Wyoming at UNLV Saturday The first-place Cowboys have won three Mountain West games (two home, one away) by a total of eight points. Now, things get even tougher. Wyoming faces a talented but struggling UNLV (1-3 league) team before playing at San Diego State on Big Monday. Marcus Banks is averaging 18.5 points and 5.2 assists for UNLV in conference games. Fresno State at Nevada Saturday Many might not have predicted this as a matchup of the WAC's top two teams a month ago, but here we are. The Bulldogs are 15-2 for the fifth time in school history and an 8-1 league mark is the program's best start to a conference season. Second-place Nevada (10-8, 5-3) features the nation's top three-point shooter in junior Todd Okeson (54.7 percent).

Tulsa Troubles
Tulsa coach John Phillips wants his team to be tougher at one end of the court, no matter how few shots are falling at the other.

It's a tricky thing.

"I thought we'd be a much better defensive team than in the past," said Phillips. "But it seems as though any time our offense trails off, we're just not as mentally tough or aggressive defensively. We have too many breakdowns. Missing shots really seems to affect us.

"We're just not playing as smart as I would have thought."

This isn't how most predicted the story a few months ago. Tulsa is 11-5 overall, but an average 4-3 in WAC play. It sits in a three-way tie for third, three games behind sizzling Fresno State.

The latest setback for Tulsa came Saturday night, when visiting SMU left town an 86-84 winner in overtime. In that game, Tulsa missed its first 15 three-point attempts, many of which were clean looks against SMU's 1-3-1 zone. The Golden Hurricane finished 8-of-36 on 3s against the Mustangs.

"Shots aren't going to fall every night,'' said Phillips. "And when they don't, you still have to go play at the defensive end.''

Numbers suggest Tulsa is playing better defense than its coach insists. Tulsa leads the WAC in field-goal defense (40.9 percent) and steals (8.4 per game).

Tulsa plays three of its next four away from the Reynolds Center, which might be good news. It is one of two WAC teams (along with Rice) with winning road records.

"I'm telling our guys that every game is going to be close and we need to find a way to win more of them," said Phillips. "It is the reason that Fresno State has separated itself from everyone else. But there are a lot of games left, and I still believe the (conference race) is wide open."

Around the West