New Mexico turned the most recent — and final — undefeated staff in males’s faculty basketball to take a loss on Tuesday because it fell on the street at Fresno State 71-67. The Lobos had been the one undefeated staff left standing within the sport after previously-unbeaten UConn fell on Saturday and previously-unbeaten Purdue came across Tuesday.
New Mexico led with slightly below two minutes to play earlier than Fresno closed on a 5-0 result in finish the sport with Isaih Moore placing in a layup with about 90 seconds remaining and Isaiah Hill tacking on three free throws within the last 20 seconds of motion.
“In 18 months we have taken a staff that received six video games to sell-outs, getting the state engaged once more,” mentioned New Mexico coach Richard Pitino postgame on his perspective concerning the state of this system. “After 15 video games [in 2022] I feel we have finished quite a bit. Our fan base is rejuvenated. Our gamers are taking part in exhausting. We’re 14-1. I didn’t suppose we had been going to go undefeated. I am simply happy with the run we had.”
If it appears early within the season for the final undefeated staff to fall, you are not imagining issues. New Mexico’s loss on Jan. 3 marked the earliest the final undefeated staff has taken its first lack of the season for the reason that 2017-18 season, and the second-earliest that each staff has misplaced a minimum of one sport spanning the final 45 seasons, per ESPN Stats and Information.
Solely a day earlier, New Mexico had risen as much as No. 21 within the newest AP High 25 ballot, its highest rating of the season for the reason that 2013-14 season when it climbed as excessive as No. 17.