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Monday, March 15, 2010
Lobos Get 3 Seed
By Aurelio Sanchez
Journal Staff Writer
A euphoric howl rose in concert from 5,000 Lobo fans in the Pit, as a CBS announcer pegged the basketball Lobos to a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the team matching its highest seed since 1997.
Gary Guillen and his wife, Amy, both wearing fur Lobo head caps, jumped to their feet and whooped, Guillen holding a small handmade sign saying "Dancing with Lobos."
A fan for more than 30 years, Guillen called the season "tremendously exciting."
"I remember watching the Lobos when they were in the NIT tournament in New York City in 1964," Guillen said, adding that his cousin, George Maes, played on the team in the late 1960s.
"The feeling this year is very similar to that year because back then, the NIT was a very prestigious tournament," he said. "To make it to the finals, it put Lobo basketball on the basketball map, and it showed people across the nation what Lobo basketball was all about."
This year's team has generated excitement, he said, by rising to as high as No. 8 in the national rankings and by winning the regular season Mountain West Conference championship two years running.
Meanwhile, a jubilant Orlando Montoya said the team deserved a No. 2 seed, "but I'm happy with a (No. 3) seed. We got Montana in the first round, and that's a good draw, an excellent draw," he said.
The atmosphere Sunday was fun and raucous, a scene of anticipation as fans filled one-third of the Pit's capacity, painting the east seats a solid red, spilling into the north and south seats of University Arena.
The school band repeatedly blasted the school fight song as a miniature blimp floated overhead and fans watched the CBS Selection Show on two giant TV screens on the basketball floor.
Loud cheers greeted coach Steve Alford's appearance every time he was interviewed on the giant screens, but the Pit erupted in its loudest roar, accompanied by hoots and whistles, when CBS announced the Lobos as No. 3 seed and that they would face Montana in the opening round this week of the NCAA Tournament.
As he was leaving the Pit, David Luna predicted the team would reach the Elite 8 level of the tournament, adding that he doesn't see a repeat of the Lobos' infamous 1978 first round collapse to Cal-State Fullerton in a game in which they were heavily favored.
"That's not going to happen this time," Luna said. "This team is tenacious and they work too hard for that to happen. This team has a different personality, plus an excellent coach."
Leuretta Lewis, whose son-in-law Tony Benford was an assistant coach under former head coach Dave Bliss, said Benford is now with Marquette, so she was following the selections of both Marquette and the Lobos to the tourney.
"These Lobos are great," Lewis said. "A lot of teams have one kid who wants to be The Man. But on this team, all of the guys are The Man."
Drew Fischer said he was hoping for a No. 2 seed, but added, "A No. 3 is just as satisfying, especially when you consider we'll be playing Montana. I think our bracket looks good enough for us to go all the way to the Elite 8."
A boisterous Troy Rivas proclaimed he was the team's No. 1 fan, and he produced a license plate to prove it.
"I'm No. 1 fan because of my dedication to the team, whether they win or lose," Rivas said.
Wes Henderson, 24, a junior at UNM, drove back from Las Vegas, Nev., to be first in line on Sunday.
"I'm here because I gotta support this team," he said. "They've given us a hell of a year."
Journal staff writer Juan Carlos Rodriguez contributed to this report.
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