The Land of Enchantment won’t have either of its state’s two Division I programs to cheer for this week as the NCAA Tournament begins.
Sixty eight teams — none of them being the New Mexico State Aggies, who shut down their season a month ago amid chaos and uncertainty, or the New Mexico Lobos, who do at least have a postseason to play in as their run in the NIT begins on Wednesday night in the Pit — made it in instead.
But fear not, fans looking for a local rooting interest to follow in this year’s Big Dance, college basketball’s crown jewel event that pulls non-fans out of the woodwork across the country to fill out brackets and root for teams they can’t locate on a map.