Men’s, women’s teams get into NIT
ALBUQUERQUE — The drought is over for the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team.
While Selection Sunday left them out of the NCAA Tournament as expected, the Lobos learned Sunday night they’d been selected as an at-large team for the National Invitation Tournament. UNM (22-11) will host Utah Valley (25-8) on Wednesday night in The Pit.
The Wolverines received a bid to the 32-team field by virtue of their regular season title in the Western Athletic Conference. Regular season champions who failed to win their respective conference tournaments got into the NIT automatically.
The Lobos were the only Mountain West team selected. They’re seeded No. 2 in the Top Right Bracket that has Rutgers at No. 1. Their inclusion in the field is the program’s first postseason appearance since the 2013-14 team lost in the first round of the NCAA to Stanford.
All first-round games are on the campus of the higher seed, although there are some exceptions. Oklahoma State and Sam Houston State, for instance, are seeded 1 and 3, respectively, in the Top Left Bracket but both will travel for their first-round games due to scheduling conflicts with their home arenas.
UNM potentially faces the same situation for The Pit should the Lobos win and earn a second-round home game. The Pit is booked by the New Mexico Activities Association through Saturday for the State Spirit Competition and for the Ty Murray Invitational bull riding event next week. The NIT’s second round is Saturday and Sunday with quarterfinal game March 21-22.
The top seeds in each bracket are Rutgers (19-14), Clemson (23-10), Oklahoma State (18-15) and Oregon (19-14).
The Lobos are no stranger to the NIT, having made 19 previous appearances in the annual event. It’s their first trip since 2011.
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The UNM women have also been invited to the NIT. The Lobos are one of four Mountain West teams in the 64-team field, joining Wyoming, San Diego State and Colorado State. The entire bracket and all first-round matchups will be announced Monday.
This is New Mexico’s fifth appearance in the WNIT under coach Mike Bradbury. It’s their 10th appearance all time. The Lobos made the tournament’s third round last season.