New Mexico Lobos Men’s Basketball Tickets
The New Mexico Lobos men’s basketball team is a Division I program for the University of New Mexico. The team is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico and plays their home games at The Pit. The Pit has a capacity of 17,200 people and opened in 1966. Since it’s opening, The Pit has been known for being one of the loudest arenas in the country. The arena is located a mile above sea level, which, coupled with the incredibly high volume of the cheers, makes it one of the toughest places to play. The team has won more than 80% of its games at home since The Pit opened. The team plays in the Mountain West Conference. The team is currently coached by Steve Alford. In Alford’s five years as head coach, the team has made the postseason every year, making the NCAA Tournament twice, most recently in 2012 when the team reached the Third Round.
New Mexico was one of the first teams to play basketball, beginning in 1899, just eight years after the sports creation. In 1920, coach Roy Johnson oversaw the transformation of the program into a team that would compete on a national level. The team won its first two Border Conference championships in 1944 and 1945. Real success came when Bob King arrived in 1962. During King’s tenure, the team made its first NCAA Tournament appearance. Dave Bliss arrived in 1988 and led the team to postseason appearances in all but one of his seasons, making the NCAA Tournament a school-record seven times.
The Lobos have featured 31 players selected in the NBA Draft, including seven in the first round. Most recently, in 2010, the Milwaukee Bucks selected Darington Hobson in the second round. Luc Longley was the highest selection to come out of New Mexico when he was picked seventh overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1991 NBA Draft.
While the team features many rivalry games throughout their schedule including games against UNLV and Arizona; however, no game takes on more importance than the games between the Lobos and the New Mexico State Aggies. The Lobos hold the lead in the series 112-95. Their rivalry is unique as many non-conference rivalries only meet once; however, these two teams face-off against each other twice.
