1998–99 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team

1998–99 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second round
ConferenceWestern Athletic Conference
DivisionPacific
Ranking
APNo. 25
Record25–9 (9–5 WAC)
Head coach
Home arenaUniversity Arena
Seasons
← 1997–98
1999–2000 →
1998–99 WAC men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Mountain
UNLV 9 – 5   .643 16 – 13   .552
Tulsa 9 – 5   .643 23 – 10   .697
Rice 8 – 6   .571 18 – 10   .643
TCU 7 – 7   .500 21 – 11   .656
SMU 7 – 7   .500 15 – 15   .500
Colorado State 7 – 7   .500 19 – 11   .633
Wyoming 7 – 7   .500 18 – 10   .643
Air Force 2 – 12   .143 10 – 16   .385
Pacific
No. 6 Utah † 14 – 0   1.000 28 – 5   .848
No. 25 New Mexico 9 – 5   .643 25 – 9   .735
Fresno State 9 – 5   .643 21 – 12   .636
UTEP 8 – 6   .571 16 – 12   .571
BYU 6 – 8   .429 12 – 16   .429
San Jose State 5 – 9   .357 12 – 16   .429
Hawaii 3 – 11   .214 6 – 20   .231
San Diego State 2 – 12   .143 4 – 22   .154
† 1999 WAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll[1]

The 1998–99 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team represented the University of New Mexico as a member of the Western Athletic Conference. The Lobos were coached by head coach Dave Bliss and played their home games at the University Arena, also known as "The Pit", in Albuquerque, New Mexico. New Mexico finished 2nd in the WAC Pacific division regular season standings and lost to Utah in the WAC Tournament championship game. The Lobos received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 9 seed in the West region. After defeating Missouri in the opening round,[2] New Mexico was bounced in the round of 32 by No. 1 seed and eventual National champion Connecticut, 78–56,[3] to finish with a 25–9 record (9–5 WAC).

Roster

1998–99 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown
G 3 Lamont Long 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
—
 Jr
F 4 Kenny Thomas 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Albuquerque, New Mexico
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

[4]

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Nov 13, 1998*
 No. 20 т DePaul W 82–81  1–0
 University Arena 
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jan 2, 1999*
 New Mexico State W 77–66  12–1
 University Arena 
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jan 4, 1999
 at Fresno State L 80–86  12–2
(0–1) 		Selland Arena 
Fresno, California
Jan 7, 1999
 San Diego State W 90–60  13–2
(1–1) 		University Arena 
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jan 9, 1999
 Hawaii W 82–59  14–2
(2–1) 		University Arena 
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jan 13, 1999
 No. 16 at San Jose State W 82–81 OT 15–2
(3–1) 		The Event Center 
San Jose, California
Jan 16, 1999*
 No. 16 No. 7 Arizona W 79–78[5][6]  16–2
 University Arena 
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jan 19, 1999*
 No. 12 at New Mexico State L 55–76  16–3
 Pan American Center 
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Jan 23, 1999
 No. 12 at UTEP L 49–67  16–4
(3–2) 		Don Haskins Center 
El Paso, Texas
Jan 30, 1999
 BYU W 78–68  17–4
(4–2) 		University Arena 
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Feb 1, 1999
 No. 20 Utah L 39–57  17–5
(4–3) 		University Arena 
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Feb 6, 1999
 at Hawaii L 68–72 OT 17–6
(4–4) 		Stan Sheriff Center 
Honolulu, Hawaii
Feb 8, 1999
 at San Diego State W 85–60  18–6
(5–4) 		Viejas Arena 
San Diego, California
Feb 11, 1999
 San Jose State W 82–46  19–6
(6–4) 		University Arena 
 
Feb 13, 1999
 Fresno State W 83–81  20–6
(7–4) 		University Arena 
 
Feb 20, 1999
 UTEP W 81–65  21–6
(8–4) 		University Arena 
 
Feb 25, 1999*
 No. 21 at BYU W 85–64  22–6
(9–4) 		Marriott Center 
Provo, Utah
Feb 27, 1999
 No. 21 at No. 12 Utah L 47–77  22–7
(9–5) 		Jon M. Huntsman Center 
Salt Lake City, Utah
WAC tournament
Mar 4, 1999*
 No. 25 vs. Rice
Quarterfinals 		W 51–49  23–7
 Thomas & Mack Center 
Las Vegas, Nevada
Mar 5, 1999*
 No. 25 vs. SMU
Semifinals 		W 57–56  24–7
 Thomas & Mack Center 
Las Vegas, Nevada
Mar 6, 1999*
 No. 25 vs. No. 8 Utah
Championship game 		L 45–60  24–8
 Thomas & Mack Center 
Las Vegas, Nevada
NCAA tournament
Mar 11, 1999*
 (9 W) No. 25 vs. (8 W) Missouri
First Round 		W 61–59  25–8
 McNichols Sports Arena 
Denver, Colorado
Mar 13, 1999*
 CBS 		(9 W) No. 25 vs. (1 W) No. 3 Connecticut
Second Round 		L 56–78  25–9
 McNichols Sports Arena (16,237)
Denver, Colorado
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West.

[7]

Rankings

See also: 1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

[8]

Team players in the 1999 NBA draft

See also: 1999 NBA draft
Round Pick Player NBA Club
1 22 Kenny Thomas Houston Rockets

[9]

References

  1. ^ sports-reference.com 1998-99 Western Athletic Conference Season Summary
  2. ^ "Lobos show Missouri they belong in tourney". The Las Vegas Sun. March 12, 1999. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  3. ^ "Punchless New Mexico Is KO'd Early by Connecticut". Los Angeles Times. March 14, 1999. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  4. ^ "1998–99 New Mexico Lobos Roster and Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  5. ^ "New Mexico Beats Arizona at Buzzer". Los Angeles Times. January 17, 1999. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  6. ^ "New Mexico Ousts No. 7 Arizona". CBS News. January 17, 1999. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  7. ^ "1998–99 New Mexico Men's Basketball Schedule". University of New Mexico Athletics. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  8. ^ *ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House. 2009. pp. 1075–1076. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
  9. ^ "1999 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved August 13, 2022.