Coaches No. 16 | AP No. 8 | |
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2009–10 record 30–5 (14–2 Mountain West) Head coach Steve Alford (3rd Year) | ||
The 2009–10 Division I University of New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team represented the University of New Mexico as a member of the Mountain West Conference. The Lobos were coached by third-year head coach Steve Alford and played their home games at The Pit, newly renamed from its previous official name of University Arena, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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The Lobos finished the season 30–5, 14–2 in Mountain West play to capture the regular season championship. They advanced to the semifinals of the 2010 Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Tournament before being defeated by eventual champion San Diego State. They received an at–large bid to the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, earning a 3 seed in the East Region. They defeated 14 seed Montana in the first round before being upset by 11 seed Washington in the second round to end their season.
2009–10 University Arena renovations
The University of New Mexico Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs outlined details of the $60 million renovations to University Arena (The Pit). Some of the items included in the presentation were the addition of 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) of new space, the expansion of the concourse, the addition of 40 luxury suites and 300 club seats to the mezzanine level and the new state-of-the-art locker room facilities for Lobo men's and women's basketball. Krebs stated, "Our goal is to create the best collegiate basketball venue in the nation."
The design process followed the completion of the Program Document for The Pit, which was used to guide the planning and design. The focus of the design, guided by Molzen-Corbin & Associates, was to maintain and improve the fan experience but not change The Pit. The planning committee was charged with keeping The Pit intimate, respecting its history, keeping the mystique of the arena, maintaining great sight lines and the current bowl seating mix and embracing new technology.
The project is expected to be completed in time for the 2010–2011 basketball season. During construction the home games will still take place at University Arena and will have no impact on the 2009–10 season.
2009-2010 Schedule
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