2014 NCAA tournament: A look back at New Mexico's tournament history

Playing in the NCAA tournament has not been kind to the New Mexico Lobos over the years. Ever since the tournament expanded to 64 teams back in 1985 the Lobos have never made it to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. That drought should have ended last season when New Mexico was a No. 3 seed and was expected to make a deep tournament run.

The Lobos went up against No. 14 Harvard but were upset in the round of 64 and thus extended the drought of not advancing to the Sweet 16 round another year. New Mexico nearly made it to the Sweet 16 in 2011-12 but they came up short, 59-56, against Louisville.

Even though New Mexico has not advanced deep into the tournament, they have made a lot of appearances in the Big Dance. Since 1990-19, the Lobos have made 12 NCAA tournament appearances with a stretch of four out of the last five years, and then seven out of nine tournament appearances between 1990-99.

The deepest that New Mexico made it in the NCAA tournament was in 1968 and 1974 where they made it to the regional semifinals in each of those years before bowing out.

This 2014 NCAA tournament is a great chance for New Mexico to make their deepest tournament run in school history, because assuming they get past Stanford in their first game they likely will be playing a shorthanded Kansas team which makes them prime for an upset if Joel Embiid back is still bothering him.