March Madness came to an end in the most dramatic way possible for a program that didn’t make it to the tourney.
On Friday night The LoboLair — an online aggregate of UNM athletics news — tweeted the breaking news of Craig Neal being relieved of his duties as the UNM men’s basketball head coach. A press release sent by Assistant Athletic Director of Communications Frank Mercogliano about 30 minutes later confirmed Neal’s departure.
This may or may not have come as a surprise to those who have been following the program.
On March 10, Athletics Director Paul Krebs provided a statement saying that “to end speculation,” he was announcing that Neal would be returning next season.