Feb. 26—It took all of 24 hours for Richard Pitino to go from finalist for national coach of the year to overlord of one of the most demoralizing losses in years for the New Mexico men’s basketball program.
Good thing for him and Lobos fans everywhere, all is not lost. As dark as it seemed after lowly Air Force hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 7.5 seconds left to hand UNM its third loss in four games in The Pit, there was still a ray of hope trying to burn a hole through all that existential dread.
Lying ahead are two quad-1 road opportunities against Boise State and Utah State, potential wins that can (and will) catapult the Lobos back into NCAA Tournament “lock” status. Further down the road is the automatic bid that goes to the Mountain West Conference Tournament champion; cut down the nets in Vegas and you’re going dancing.
As bad as the Air Force loss was — and it was really bad — it ain’t over. The fat lady’s not singing but she’s warming up.
In some ways, the damage is irreversible. Pitino single-handedly took a big marker and scratched his name off the Naismith watch list. He’ll be the first one to tell you he should have found a way to X and O his club into a win against a team that is so bad that UNM almost had to try to lose the game. The Lobos were 19-point favorites against a Falcons squad that had no business being there.
Additionally, it took just a few days for his program to go from NCAA darling and a potential 6- or 7-seed to having a handful of fans chanting, “NIT, NIT,” as Air Force celebrated at midcourt.
Point fingers where you will, but Pitino deserves the heat. The fans who watched from afar — and especially the 15,000 who purchased tickets to personally see the bubble burst — wasted no time giving him the business. Social media wasn’t kind as fans blasted Pitino’s coaching and questioned the team’s heart.
Let’s start with the obvious: Jaelen House.
The Lobos’ star guard and unquestioned emotional leader didn’t set foot on the court for the final 17-plus minutes. He picked up his fourth foul at the 17:08 mark and spent the rest of the game on the bench.
Why?
Pitino said he just liked the energy freshman Tru Washington provided.
Washington is a truly gifted player and, assuming he stays after the season, is a cornerstone-type guard who will build a lasting legacy in LoboLand. He’s also a true freshman and he does true freshman things, like occasionally rush shots, get handsy on defense, or zig when he should have zagged.
Against Air Force, he was thrust into a make-or-break moment at the end of the game. Passed the ball as time was running out, he missed what would have been the game-winning shot at the buzzer.
The audible exhale and inevitable shower of groans (and some boos) resonated. So, too, did the confusion over how a team as impressive as UNM has been all season seemed to overlook Air Force and be as unprepared as it was. It was as if the Lobos had never seen a backdoor cut or high-ball screen. The Falcons torched the defense all game. When they weren’t blowing past defenders for dunks, someone was left wide-open for a 3-point shot.
How, then, can anyone be expected to understand why one of the country’s top on-ball defenders not be used at any point in the last 17 minutes? There’s no reasonable answer for why House was left on the bench as things fell apart.
To be fair, we’re not privy to what happened on the sidelines. Maybe it was a disciplinary issue between player and coach. Perhaps House wasn’t feeling well or had some sort of injury. We simply don’t know because Pitino didn’t mention it after the game and House wasn’t available for comment.
What Lobo fans do know is their team went down without one of its best players on the floor, and the only one who can explain it is Pitino.
Regardless, it’s remarkable how fast the euphoria of being a legitimate NCAA Tournament team can collapse with one ugly loss.
If the Lobos do exchange the four-letter tournament for the dreaded three-letter event, look no further than the last 17 minutes against Air Force. That’s your blame, that’s why the madness of March is reserved for everyone but your team.
Will Webber is the sports editor of The New Mexican. Contact him at [email protected].
