As the clock struck zero, the UNM men’s basketball team lined up two ladders, one under each basket, and cut down the nets at The Pit.
To get there, the Lobos (28-3 overall, 14-2 MWC) had to fend off TCU. But, in the end, the Lobos triumphed, 73-66, earning the right to call themselves the lone Mountain West Conference champions. A crowd of 14,568 fans showed up to witness this ceremony.
Little did they know they would get a battle. But when the battle was over, UNM won its 28th game of the season, tying a school record.
“I guess I expect to win all of them easy, just because this team has done some remarkable things,” said head coach Steve Alford, donning a freshly cut net around his neck. “But we haven’t had a lot of easy contests over the last three or four weeks. They have all been games that could have went either way, but our team just finds a way to win.”
On Senior Night, Roman Martinez, the lone senior, scored 19 points, pushing the Lobos over the Horned Frogs.
“This point, cutting down your nets in your home gym — it is an amazing experience that I will remember
forever,” Martinez said.
This caps the second consecutive conference championship for the Lobos and their first outright conference championship since 1994. Last year the Lobos shared the title with Utah and BYU.
“It has been an incredible journey that these young men have taken all of us on,” Alford said. “Coaches are fortunate enough to be part of that journey. It is not going to sink in for a while. It has been very special when you look at school records in an era where there is so much parity. And you can win 12 in a row, lose a game then start a 14-game winning streak — those things don’t happen with the parity on the men’s side anymore.
Fresh off an exhilarating road win over then-No.13 BYU, the Lobos were riding a 13-game win streak entering Wednesday’s contest with TCU.
TCU (13-17, 5-10 MWC) was supposed to be easy. UNM had already beaten them by 16 away from home.
But only leading by one going into halftime, it wouldn’t be easy.
The Lobos snuck out of the first half with a two-point lead after Darington Hobson lined up from the top of the key, dribbled behind his back and nailed a basket with no time left.
The Lobos, however, struggled throughout the second half. TCU forward Zvonko Buljan came out of the half and hit a 3 to give the Horned Frogs a one-point lead. Both teams battled for the lead over the next seven minutes, but a fast-break layup by Hobson marked the final lead change of the night, 46-44, with 12:50 remaining.
“When that first shot went in, all the nerves just went away,” Martinez said. “I think we were stagnant and they were more aggressive in the first half. And in the second half we turned that around. Couch got on us about our aggressiveness, and we went on from there.”
Though TCU never led again, it didn’t mean the Lobos were out of the woods. The Horned Frogs hung around, never trailing by more than 11 points and pulling to within four with a minute remaining.
If nothing else, Lobo fans who were stagnant in the first half of the game helped UNM prevail in the second half.
When the fans didn’t stand, the Lobos prompted them to. With 11:22 left in the game, assistant coach Craig Neil stood in front of the UNM bench waving his arms.
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And in the midst of the game, Hobson ran down the floor, eyeing the crowd and signaling for them to rise.
“They were so loud several times during the game and after the game,” Martinez said. “It is truly a privilege to play here. It is more than just championships. We play for the state of New Mexico, and that is what makes us different than a lot of teams in the nation. We represent more than just basketball.”
Now the Lobos will look to do that in the MWC Tournament.
For the time being, though, Martinez said he will take some time to soak in Wednesday’s electric atmosphere.
“I think tonight we are going to take advantage and have a little fun and look back and see what we have done,” he said. “But Friday we are back in the grind. We want to be a special team. We want to do more than be a good team. So we want to go out and prove to the nation that we can compete at a high level.”
