ESPN Men's Basketball

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Sitting away from his teammates in the postgame locker room, Darington Hobson cut the tape off his ankles and began flexing his wrist.

With his head bowed, the New Mexico star opened and closed his hand, trying to make a fist, only to watch it quiver.

"It hurt a lot," Hobson said quietly after letting out a long sigh. "No excuses. They beat us. They played the best game of their life tonight."

New Mexico, after winning 30 games and their first NCAA tournament game since 1999, was routed by Washington, 82-64, and largely unrecognizable playing a Pac-10 team that ran away from them, muscled up, and dominated.

Hobson, the Mountain West's Player of the Year, filled up the stat sheet with 11 points and nine rebounds, but also found passing lanes closed and didn't look himself playing with a sore wrist on his shooting hand.

"This morning at breakfast, that thing was swollen," Lobos coach Steve Alford said.

Roman Martinez, New Mexico's lone senior, had to leave the game briefly needing four sutures about his left eye after colliding with his own teammate.

The team's heart and soul was left with blood on his uniform and returned to play his final minutes as a senior wearing a new jersey with a number that wasn't his.

So woozy was Martinez that he headed to the opponent's bench after getting hit, and by the end of the game, he went down his own bench giving long hugs.

"They looked like San Diego State and ran like BYU," Martinez said of the Huskies.

Alford called Washington not only the best team New Mexico faced all season, but also the fastest. The Lobos weren't able to penetrate the UW defense like they had hoped.

"No penetration, no easy shots," Martinez said.

In the end, New Mexico struggled a bit down the stretch. When the Lobos were upset by San Diego State in the semifinals of the MWC tournament, it was their first loss in more than two months. They were slow to close out Montana in the first round and were out-matched against Washington.

But the future is bright. New Mexico is bringing in what Alford has said is his best recruiting class, including transfer Drew Gordon from UCLA to provide another post presence. And The Pit will reopen with $60 million worth of renovations.

The team would be highlighted by guard Dairese Gary, who scored 25 against Washington. And it gets even better if Hobson, an NBA prospect, returns for his senior season as well.

Asked after the game if he was coming back next year, Hobson gave an answer that many Lobos fans will echo when asked how the game today went:

"No comment."

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Washington might have entered the NCAA tournament a No. 11 seed, but the Huskies crushed New Mexico 82-64 to advance to the Sweet 16.

Quincy Pondexter scored 18, and Matthew Bryan-Amaning came up huge down low with 15 points and nine rebounds for the Huskies, now winners of nine in a row.

Bryan-Amaning had numerous monster dunks and finished 7-for-10 from the field, as Washington simply bullied No. 3-seeded New Mexico.

Dairese Gary led all scorers with 25 points, and Darington Hobson had 11 points and nine rebounds, but the Lobos were never really in the game in the second half with the Huskies on fire and committing only five turnovers.

Isaiah Thomas scored 15, and Elston Turner provided a lift off the bench again with 10 points for Washington. Justin Holiday had three blocked shots.

The Huskies, who move on to face the winner of the West-Virginia-Missouri game, played their most complete game of the season.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Quick thoughts from the Pac-10 vs. Mountain West game...

• Washington is off to a fast start, with Quincy Pondexter scoring 10 points and Isaiah Thomas scoring nine. All of Thomas' points have come on 3-pointers. The Huskies as a team are shooting 51.5 percent from the field.

• New Mexico is struggling by shooting 38.9 percent from the field, 3-for-12 from beyond the arc and 1-for-6 on free throws.

• Elston Turner knocked down two more big 3-pointers for Washington. One came while he was fouled, but the free throw missed on what would have been a 4-point play. But that 3 gave the Huskies a 41-27 lead.

• Dairese Gary has a game-high 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Darington Hobson has three points, five rebounds and two assists playing with a sore wrist.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Last season, Butler coach Brad Stevens came up with the saying, "The Game Honors Toughness!" and introduced it to his team by asking if anyone knew what TGHT stood for.

"Teach Gordon Hayward toughness," one smart aleck yelled out.

The good-natured joke around the Bulldogs' locker room has been that the Horizon League Player of the Year can do plenty of things well, but isn't necessarily known for picking up floor burns.

So the sight of Hayward poking away the ball from Murray State's Isaiah Canaan and diving after the loose ball all the way at the other end of the court to seal the game brought back the chuckles about TGHT after the game.

"We're getting to the Sweet 16 with Gordon Hayward on the floor," teammate Ronald Nored said smiling. "That's ironic. How about that?

"Biggest play of the year."

Hayward, a baby-faced 6-foot-8, 200-pound swingman, entered the game leading the team with 15.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and 27 blocked shots as a sophomore.

And now, the biggest play might have come with time winding down, and No. 13-seeded Murray State down by two looking for another buzzer-beater.

The freshman Canaan, who had already hit all four of his 3-point attempts, found Hayward out on the perimeter making sure he didn't have a shot and gave up the ball.

The two fought for the ball all the way down to time expiring.

"It was just a scramble," Hayward said. "It was just wanting to win."

He was only 4-for-13 from the field, finishing with 12 points. But seven rebounds, including three on the offensive glass, and the final sequence, will add to his legend.

Hayward, a Brownsburg, Ind., native, was raised by Purdue grads watching Gene Keady-coached teams, but ended up feeling comfortable at Butler.

He's apparently got a quirky side, too, recording a rap with high school friends entitled "Too Big Yo," a YouTube hit that has since been removed. Stevens said he was assured it didn't include anything dirty and wasn't any good, so he never did listen to it.

"Me and my friends were bored on spring break," Hayward said. "No more rap from me."

Just another win for Butler.

SAN JOSE, Calf. --Butler reached the Sweet 16 for the third time in eight years after extending the nation's longest winning streak to 22 games with a second-round win over a relentless Murray State team.

Gordon Hayward tipped the ball away from Isaiah Canaan, and time expired as the Racers couldn't get off a final shot after Matt Howard made one of two free throws with 17. 5 seconds left for No. 5-seeded Butler.

The biggest shot of the game went to Butler guard Ronald Nored, who drove the lane, drew a blocking foul and completed the 3-point play with 25.4 seconds left to give the Bulldogs a 53-50 lead.

Nored finished with a game-high 15 points and six assists while Hayward had 12 points and seven rebounds.

No. 13-seeded Murray State got 14 points from Canaan, but was ultimately doomed by 18 turnovers.

Butler, which earned its 30th win of the season, moves on to play the Syracuse-Gonzaga winner in the West Region.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Quick thoughts on the game from HP Pavilion.

• Murray State's Isaiah Canaan has a game-high eight points and keyed a 9-0 run for the Racers going into halftime. He sank a 3-pointer and then on the other end of the floor stole the ball with under a minute left. The fast break layup attempt missed, but Edwards Daniel was there for the put-back. Donte Poole hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
• The Racers didn't exactly race off to a good start, as they didn't hit their second field goal until the 12:32 mark, letting Butler go on a 12-0 run. But their defense picked up, and Butler went into the half shooting 28.6 percent from the field.
• Butler's Gordon Hayward, the Horizon League's player of the year, has been held to three points on 1-for-6 shooting. He does have five rebounds.
• Butler was going good until that late run, forcing eight Murray State turnovers. But the Bulldogs are getting pounded on the boards by a 21-14 margin. Tony Easley has seven rebounds for Murray State.
• Ronald Nored leads Butler with seven points and three assists.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Today's second-round action at HP Pavilion features two games that could result in Sweet 16 spots for some surprising teams.

(5) Butler vs. (13) Murray State

Butler coach Brad Stevens said the difficulty that comes with preparing for Murray State certainly isn't the result of unfamiliarity with the Racers. "The irony is they’re better than a lot of teams that are on TV sometimes," Stevens said. "A very very scary team to prepare for." Murray State has five players who average at least 10 points per game and is riding high after Danero Thomas hit a game-winning jumper at the buzzer against Vanderbilt. But while the Racers are looking for their third NCAA tournament win, Butler is searching for it's third Sweet Sixteen in eight years. Shelvin Mack hit seven 3-pointers, scoring 25 points in an 18-point win in the first round against UTEP. The Bulldogs will now be looking to extend the nation's longest winning streak to 22 games. Another streak they've built up? Butler is 3-0 playing as the higher seed in NCAA tournament games.

(3) New Mexico vs. (11) Washington

Darington Hobson underwent an X-ray exam that revealed no breaks in his left wrist and despite appearing gimpy after hitting his tailbone on the fall as well, he's planning on playing against Washington. "It's tournament time," Hobson said. "It's not going to affect me." That's great news for the Lobos, who are trying to advance to their first Sweet 16 since the NCAA tournament went to at least 64 teams. Washington's Quincy Pondexter compared Hobson to Evan Turner, and coach Lorenzo Romar used him in the same sentence as Penny Hardaway. The Huskies hope to make their third Sweet 16 under Romar and count on Pondexter to carry them once again after the senior hit the game-winner against Marquette. Look for New Mexico's Dairese Gary and Washington's Isaiah Thomas to square off, and also watch for the Huskies' Elston Turner, who hit four huge 3-pointers to spark the first-round comeback.

Blogger Diamond Leung gives a little insight into Saturday's slate of second-round games in San Jose.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Talk inside the Washington locker room after Thursday's upset of Marquette turned to the perception that the Huskies simply aren't all that tough.

The idea that Washington, known out West for playing an in-your-face style of defense at home, somehow is considered more of a finesse team in other parts of the nation is something that has gotten back to the Huskies.

"They talk about how we shouldn't be in this tournament and we're soft," guard Venoy Overton said of the people he called "doubters."

And just in case his Dancin' Dawgs didn't realize this, coach Lorenzo Romar made sure to drill that into their heads for motivational purposes before the NCAA tournament.

"As a coaching staff we can get on our players and talk about 'em, but we don't want anyone else to talk about 'em," Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. "I think our team is a physical team. I think our team goes out and plays a tough brand of basketball.

"We talked about those things. It wasn't like the tough guys [from Marquette] were going to come in and play against the little soft guys. We just wanted to make sure that we knew that was our identity."

The "soft" label is likely a byproduct of being part of a Pac-10 conference that received only two NCAA tournament bids and saw Arizona State and Oregon State lose in the first rounds of the NIT and CBI.

Even the media that covers the conference apparently thinks that while there might be some Tarzans in the conference, they aren't any better than Jayne.

In a recent Oakland Tribune survey of Pac-10 writers, one with tongue planted firmly in cheek predicted Stanford women's basketball star Jayne Appel as the conference's best NBA player in five years. Another wrote down "no one."

And while Washington has the conference's highest-scoring offense, its defense ranks seventh.

But Washington is so good about imposing its will on opponents that numerous Pac-10 coaches have indicated that their chances of taking out the Huskies at Bank of America Arena depend on how tightly the referees call the game.

Letting the Huskies hound the ball doesn't exactly make for a fun evening for opponents, and it was defensive stop after defensive stop that keyed their rally from 15 down against Marquette.

Against New Mexico on Saturday in the second round of the tournament, Overton noted he'd have to pester ball-handlers around the perimeter and help take away the 3-pointer and make the Lobos try to drive the ball. Waiting in the paint would be forward Matthew Bryan-Amaning, the team's tallest player at 6-foot-9.

Told of Overton's comments, New Mexico forward Roman Martinez remained confident in his team.

"We have a lot of guys that can attack the rim, and that's what we've done all year," he said. "I think we're going to be fine with that."

Reputations aren't easy to break, and either way, Washington knows it's representing the Pac-10 in this tournament.

"Whether we like it or not, I think that's what it is," Romar said.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- New Mexico guard Darington Hobson has a sore and tender left wrist, but an X-ray examination came back negative, and he is expected to play in Saturday's second-round game against Washington.

Hobson, the Mountain West Conference's player of the year, fell on the wrist and his tailbone in last night's win against Montana.

The junior leads the Lobos in points, rebounds and assists.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- New Mexico guard Darington Hobson is scheduled to undergo an X-ray exam Friday on the wrist of his left shooting hand after a fall during the Lobos' first-round win against Montana.

"I can't really do anything that involves using the basketball," said Hobson, who was probably exaggerating a bit given he finished the game with 11 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. "It hurts. It's throbbing."

Hobson has 48 hours to recover if he merely suffered a contusion, but even having the Mountain West Conference's player of the year at less than 100 percent would be a blow with Washington coming up on Saturday.

One thing New Mexico coach Steve Alford wasn't worried about was that their 30th win of the season was ugly and their margin was only five points against No. 14-seeded Montana. It was the school's first tournament win in 11 years.

"It's not gymnastics," he said. "You don't get (style) points. When we make a lot of shots, then we look a little prettier."

That wasn't Alford's halftime speech, of course, with the Lobos down by a point and the Grizzlies' Brian Qvale scoring 17 points before the break.

"He said it didn't seem like we wanted to play and they wanted it more," Hobson said.

New Mexico didn't come out with a sense of urgency, guard Dairese Gary said. And after establishing a lead in the second half, the Lobos let the Grizzlies hang around and have it down to a one-possession game with under a minute remaining.

With a team that has no NCAA tournament experience and only one senior, Alford said he "jump-started" his players at halftime that led to a 16-3 run immediately after the break.

"They got a chip on their shoulder," Alford said. "They know we're nowhere near where we want to get to in the level of respect, but that's coming."

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- New Mexico got all it wanted from a scrappy Montana team with a struggling shooter, but the Lobos advanced to Saturday's second-round matchup with Washington.

Roman Martinez scored 19 points and hit two free throws with 13 seconds left to make it a two-possession game and allow the No. 3-seeded Lobos to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

No. 14-seeded Montana got a huge night out of 6-foot-11 center Brian Qvale, who scored a game-high 26 points on 12-of-16 shooting and also had 13 rebounds.

But New Mexico did well in limiting Anthony Johnson, who scored 42 points in the Big Sky championship game to get the Grizzlies into the tournament, but was held to a single field goal that didn't come until there were less than two minutes remaining.

Mountain West player of the year Darington Hobson had 11 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, appearing fine after falling on his wrist.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Quick thoughts from the final game of the night at HP Pavilion:

• America, meet Brian Qvale. Montana's 6-foot-11 center just dropped 17 points on New Mexico in the first half on 8-of-11 shooting, dominating in the paint. The Lobos' A.J. Hardeman found himself with a tough assignment and was limited to eight minutes while picking up two fouls along with two points.
• All the attention before the game was on Montana's Anthony Johnson, who scored 42 in the Big Sky championship game. He's missed all eight of his field goal attempts and has two points. Of course, Johnson is known for his ability to have a big second half.
• Roman Martinez leads the Lobos with 12 points, five rebounds and three assists. A fan favorite in New Mexico, Martinez hopes his last game won't end up being this one, of course.
• Darington Hobson has only one field goal and five points, and he'll need to pick it up in the second half as well.
• New Mexico had only two turnovers, but shot 37.9 percent from the field.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Quincy Pondexter made the game-winning shot after a four-point first half he called "horrible."

How did he turn it around against Marquette? Well, fear can be an incredible motivator.

"The fear of it being my last collegiate game ever, that's really what propelled me to play well," Pondexter said.

His Huskies teammates reminded him during the game of that very fact.

"I told Quincy, 'You don't want this to be your last game, so act like it,'" Isaiah Thomas said.

"I told him, 'If we lose, you're done. Pick it up,'" Venoy Overton said.

And it happened, with Pondexter scoring 14 second-half points, many of them coming while bullying his way into the post. And then, with the ball in his hands at the top of the key and the game tied, Lorenzo Romar gave him a chance by not calling timeout.

"Let your senior have a chance to win it," Romar explained.

Pondexter drove the lane with Jimmy Butler guarding him, went up and under, and hit the shot.

He turned to find his father in the stands after the game and said he thought he saw tears in Roscoe Pondexter's eyes.

With his career so close to ending, Pondexter extended it for at least another night.

The Huskies survived and advanced.