New Mexico entered the Diamond Classic in Honolulu with a 7-3 record. They lost to Rice at home just prior to the trip when power forward Tim Williams made a Chris Webber-esque mistake by calling for timeout when the team didn't have any, allowing Rice to knock down the game winning free throw with less than a second left. A frustrating loss indeed, but one that could have been easily erased with success in Hawaii.
But success is the opposite of what UNM has been experiencing in the Aloha state. They lost to Auburn in the opening round on Tuesday 83-78.