Now that the dust has settled after UNM's 83-73 win over Baylor University Wednesday, the team turns its attention to the University of Pepperdine, which visits The Pit Tuesday for a 7 p.m. matchup.
Former UNM coach Dave Bliss, the winningest coach in the program's history, took over as coach of Baylor two years ago, led the Bears to their first post-season appearance since 1990 and was rewarded with a game against his former team on its home court.
Bliss and UNM head coach Fran Fraschilla exchanged pleasantries on the Pit floor before the game, then the Lobos took care of business on the court to advance to a second-round game against the Waves.
Fraschilla said he was glad to get the Baylor game over with.
"I'm glad for our kids because we've worked hard the last couple of weeks," Fraschilla said. "I'm glad that we got win number 20, and now we can move on and play Pepperdine."
Pepperdine comes in having won 16 of its last 19 games. The Waves were runners-up to Gonzaga University in the West Coast Conference this year, and two of their three losses were to the Zags, who have advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
The Lobos beat Gonzaga 81-80 in overtime on Jan. 2 in Spokane, Wash. But, in advancing to the second round of the NIT, the Waves did something UNM could not accomplish this year - defeat the University of Wyoming. And the Waves did so on Wyoming's home floor.
The Lobos, meanwhile, have won three of their last four games, including advancing to the championship of the Mountain West Conference Tournament before coming up short 69-65 to Brigham Young University March 10.
UNM point guard Marlon Parmer, who had a chance to beat BYU with a 3-pointer at the end of the game, said the missed shot has ducked his memory long ago.
"That's just one shot I missed," Parmer said. "I took it in stride, and I worked on my game a little tougher."
Against Baylor, Parmer scored 16 points and dished out seven assists.
UNM also has the distinction of being the only men's Mountain West team still playing.
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Besides Wyoming's loss, the University of Utah dropped its first-round NIT game to Memphis University and BYU - the only Mountain West team in the NCAA Tournament - was humbled by the University of Cincinnati in its first-round game.
"I wanted everybody in our league to do well," Parmer said. "Unfortunately, we couldn't get the Mountain West out there. I hope we can beat Pepperdine and keep moving forward."
To do so, the Lobos will have to contain the outstanding backcourt duo of 6-foot-4-inch junior guard Brandon Armstrong and 6-foot-5-inch Derrick Anderson.
Armstrong torched Wyoming for 29 points, while Anderson scored 13 and added eight rebounds. Kelvin Gibbs, a 6-foot-7-inch forward for the Waves, scored 15 points and pulled down 10 rebounds against the tall frontline of the Cowboys.
UNM's guards have also played outstanding as of late.
Ruben Douglas had 27 points and five rebounds against Baylor and Eric Chatfield contributed eight points and six assists.
UNM forward Wayland White had a stellar outing at the Mountain West Tournament, being named to the all-tournament team, and scored 14 points and had 10 rebounds against Baylor.
Douglas said UNM's close call in Las Vegas only has fueled the team's will to win.
"We haven't lost any of our fire," Douglas said. "We've got a lot of fire under us because we want to make a statement that we're one of the teams that belong in the NCAA Tournament."
Douglas and Parmer said they'd like to see the Lobos take the route of last year's NIT champion, Wake Forest University, which defeated UNM in a second round game.
"They won the NIT last year, they made a strong run at the end of the year," Douglas said. "This year they were ranked, and stayed in the top-15 for the majority of the season. So we're trying to make a mark for ourselves and put ourselves back on the map."
The winner of the UNM-Pepperdine game will face the winner of the matchup between the University of Texas at El Paso and Memphis in Memphis, Tenn.
UNM drew 11,451 fans to the Baylor game and, as of Saturday, had sold almost 12,000 seats for Tuesday's game. Since the NIT bases game locations on attendance numbers, UNM could have a third-round game in The Pit, provided it gets past Pepperdine.
Fraschilla complimented last Wednesday's home crowd.
"That's the best the crowd has been in two years," Fraschilla said. "It's the first time in two years I was up in the locker room and, when the kids went out for the first warm-up 30 minutes before the game, I heard the crowd, so I knew the crowd would be into it."
The Pit crowd and the nation will view the Lobos-Waves matchup, as ESPN has added the game to its Wednesday night lineup. It is the fifth consecutive UNM game that will be televised by ESPN. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the game can be heard on the radio at 770 KKOB-AM.
