Editorial: Lobos on road to ‘Dance’

Three cheers for coach Steve Alford and the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team.

The Lobos’ defense shut down the Wyoming Cowboys in the final 10 minutes of Saturday’s game to clinch the Mountain West Conference regular season championship for the fourth time in the past five seasons and garner the top seed in the upcoming Mountain West Tournament. The 53-42 win improved the Lobos overall record to 25-4 and 12-2 in Mountain West play with two games to go.

New Mexico currently is ranked 12th in the nation.

The victory was even sweeter for two seniors who played their last game in the Pit. It was Senior Day for Chad Adams of Albuquerque and Jamal Fenton of Houston. Adams is a graduate of Highland High School. He and Fenton are on track to graduate this spring, Adams with a mass communications degree and Fenton with a degree in criminology.

In a season with a lot of close wins, the Lobos have shown they have the heart and grit to play hard until the final buzzer, whether at home or away. After Saturday’s win Alford gave them their due “This has been a tremendously disciplined team,’ he said. “And it’s been an absolute joy to be a part of this with them.”

Now if the NCAA will just grant them the consideration they have earned — a high seed at the Big Dance.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.