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Show Lobos favored ; U tes given fifth place top rebounders are gone. Utah Head Coach Jack Gardner will have his work cut out for him, not only winning games and developing a workable lineup, but also rebuilding his team for next year. In a meeting of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) basketball coaches in Albuquerque, N. M., last week, Coach Bob King and his New Mexico Lobos were unanimously voted to win the championship. Only once before in its six-year history has the WAC title ever been won by the preseason favorite. But the Lobos don't figure to continue the trend. They were first in the WAC last year with an 8-2 conference record and an overall record of 23-5. Coach King lost his leading scorer Ron Nelson to graduation, but the rest of the starting lineup remains intact. The complete voting went like this: 1. New Mexico; 2. Wyoming; 3. Brigham Young; 4. Arizona State; 5. Utah; and 6. Arizona. The main reason Utah was voted so low is the entire first string has been lost to graduation, including All, American Merv Jackson, who averaged 23.9 points per game last year. Six of the seven leading scorers from last season, and also seven of Utah's' |