Lobo letdown: UNM faithful gathered at Civic Plaza for an NCAA victory soon have hopes deflated

Nearly 140 University of New Mexico fans gathered Friday afternoon at Civic Plaza to cheer on UNM during its first-round game in the NCAA Tournament, certain their Lobos would win.

Enthusiastically watching the game on a big screen set up on the Downtown plaza stage, they cheered with each Lobo basket and groaned with each Clemson point. One fan, James Apodaca, even said, “We’re going to the Final Four.”

That anticipation and optimism pumping through the Lobo faithful was soon drained, like a Clemson three-pointer.

By the end of the first half, it was clear the Lobos weren’t going to make it to the next game, let alone the Final Four.

Their halftime deficit to Clemson’s Tigers — 14 points. As the game went on, Clemson’s lead only grew larger and the hopes of those watching at Civic Plaza only sank lower.

The 11th-seeded Lobos had entered the game as betting favorites, but every time it looked like they might catch up to No. 6 Clemson, the Tigers beat them back.

The crowd at Civic Plaza started to thin during halftime, leaving about 50 as the second half got underway. The sea of Lobos cherry red that was buzzing had become a clutter of mostly empty chairs. The die-hards who remained wore defeated expressions and cheered less and less, even when the Lobos did score.

“They just got outplayed,” fan Ronny Chavez said after the game. “I think they spent all their effort and energy in the game last week.”

The Lobos won the Mountain West Championship against San Diego State on Saturday, 68-61.

“It looks like they kind of panicked when they were down, so I think that’s where they went wrong,” Chavez said.

By the end of the game, Clemson’s lead was larger than it was at halftime, adding on seven more points to their lead. The game ended with a score of 56-77.

“I was hoping they could at least win this one and at least get into the Sweet Sixteen,” Chavez said.

This was the first year since 2014 that the Lobos made it into the NCAA Tournament . Their last appearance in the Round of 16 was in 1974, before the tournament expanded to 64 teams in the mid 1980s.

But the Lobos’ loss Friday isn’t all bad. Their win in the Mountain West Championship pushed them into the spotlight ahead of the tournament, garnering more recognition than in years past. People were starting to pay more attention to the Lobos, many observed.

“It’s disappointing, but they did a good job all season long,” said fan Chile Reano. “I’m still proud of the Lobos.”