It got nervous at the Pit on Monday opening night when Southland contender Nicholls gave UNM all it wanted before Richard Pitino's side held on for a nervous 91-84 win. Though rugged 6-9 Nelly Junior Joseph scored 28 for Pitino, three-point shooting was mostly on the blink (only 7 for 36), a potentially disturbing development for the Lobos after they did lots of living beyond the arc last season with Gs Jaelen House, Jamal Mashburn Jr, and Jemarl Baker...all of whom departed. The defense also left something to be desired vs. the Southland Colonels. Meanwhile, Mick Cronin turned over a lot of rocks in the portal to find a far-flung group of transfers (Louisville, Oklahoma State, South Dakota State, Oregon State, and crosstown USC to name some of the former locales for new Bruins). This looks a quality collection, however, led by ex-OSU wing Tyler Bilodeau, who scored 18 in just 22 minutes in the opening romp past Rider. Cronin's bench also looks to go a solid 9-10 deep. Play UCLA (at Henderson, Nv)