# 1977–78 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team

The 1977–78 New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team represented the University of New Mexico as a member of the Western Athletic Conference during the 1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Lobos were coached by head coach Norm Ellenberger and played their home games at the University Arena, also known as "The Pit", in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 25, 1977* | | Idaho | W 120–70 | 1–0 | University Arena (17,455) Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Nov 29, 1977* | | New Mexico Highlands | W 125–73 | 2–0 | University Arena (13,888) Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Dec 3, 1977* | | at New Mexico State | W 94–87 | 3–0 | Pan American Center (13,011) Las Cruces, New Mexico |
| Dec 5, 1977* | | Kentucky State | W 126–104 | 4–0 | University Arena (16,457) Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Dec 9, 1977* | | at Southern California | L 80–93 | 4–1 | L.A. Sports Arena (4,293) Los Angeles, California |
| Dec 17, 1977* | | Alaska Anchorage | W 127–101 | 5–1 | University Arena (15,048) Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Dec 21, 1977* | | New Mexico State | W 106–78 | 6–1 | University Arena (18,054) Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Dec 29, 1977* | | Vermont Lobo Invitational | W 104–81 | 7–1 | University Arena (18,029) Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Dec 30, 1977* | | No. 10 Syracuse Lobo Invitational | L 91–96 | 7–2 | University Arena (18,644) Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Jan 4, 1978* | | Puget Sound | W 102–89 | 8–2 | University Arena (14,433) Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Jan 7, 1978* | | at No. 9 Nevada-Las Vegas | W 102–98 | 9–2 | Las Vegas Convention Center (6,593) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Jan 13, 1978 | | at Arizona State | W 91–84 | 10–2 (1–0) | ASU Activity Center (6,689) Tempe, Arizona |
| Jan 14, 1978 | | at Arizona | W 93–81 | 11–2 (2–0) | McKale Center (15,156) Tucson, Arizona |
| Jan 17, 1978* | No. 20 | No. 16 Nevada-Las Vegas | W 89–76 | 12–2 | University Arena (19,044) Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Jan 21, 1978 | No. 20 | at UTEP | W 84–57 | 13–2 (3–0) | Special Events Center (11,850) El Paso, Texas |
| Jan 26, 1978 | No. 14 | BYU | W 95–82 | 14–2 (4–0) | University Arena (18,211) Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Jan 28, 1978 | No. 14 | Utah | W 113–89 | 15–2 (5–0) | University Arena (18,155) Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Feb 2, 1978 | No. 10 | at Wyoming | W 94–91 | 16–2 (6–0) | War Memorial Fieldhouse (7,885) Laramie, Wyoming |
| Feb 4, 1978 | No. 10 | at Colorado State | W 91–82 | 17–2 (7–0) | Moby Arena (11,642) Fort Collins, Colorado |
| Feb 9, 1978 | No. 6 | Arizona | W 103–85 | 18–2 (8–0) | University Arena (18,019) Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Feb 11, 1978 | No. 6 | Arizona State | W 103–92 | 19–2 (9–0) | University Arena (18,144) Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Feb 14, 1978* | No. 5 | Hawaii | W 87–69 | 20–2 | University Arena (14,906) Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Feb 18, 1978* | No. 5 | UTEP | W 59–51 | 21–2 (10–0) | University Arena (18,116) Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Feb 23, 1978 | No. 5 | at Utah | L 92–95 | 21–3 (10–1) | Jon M. Huntsman Center (14,451) Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Feb 25, 1978 | No. 5 | at BYU | W 71–68 | 22–3 (11–1) | Marriott Center (22,998) Provo, Utah |
| Mar 2, 1978 | No. 8 | Colorado State | W 111–88 | 23–3 (12–1) | University Arena (18,101) Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Mar 4, 1978* | No. 8 | Wyoming | W 93–74 | 24–3 (13–1) | University Arena (18,382) Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Mar 11, 1978* | (W 2Q) No. 5 | vs. (W 4L) Cal State Fullerton First round | L 85–90 | 24–4 | ASU Activity Center (11,316) Tempe, Arizona |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. ||||||

## Awards and honors

* Michael Cooper – USBWA First-team All-American
* Marvin Johnson – Honorable mention AP All-American

## NBA draft

| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 2 | 31 | Marvin Johnson | Chicago Bulls |
| 3 | 60 | Michael Cooper | Los Angeles Lakers |