Lobos' coach gets extension

ALBUQUERQUE — New Mexico basketball coach Ritchie McKay was given a three-year contract extension Tuesday after guiding the Lobos to their first NCAA tournament appearance in six seasons.

New Mexico athletic director Rudy Davalos said the extension keeps McKay with the school through the 2009-10 season.

New Mexico, which won the Mountain West Conference tournament last week in Denver, plays Villanova on Friday in Nashville, Tenn. The Lobos have a 26-6 record and are the No. 12 seed in the Syracuse Regional; Villanova is the No. 5 seed.

The Lobos have won nine straight games and have a five-game winning streak away from their home court, the longest for the team in 27 years.

McKay said the extension is great for his family and staff.

"The extension will help in terms of recruiting, and I hope it demonstrates our commitment to this university," he said.

The 39-year-old McKay was hired from Oregon State in 2002. He is 50-38 at New Mexico and 133-127 in his nine seasons as a head coach.

"Ritchie has done what we expected him to do with our men's basketball program," Davalos said. "He has brought back respectability to a program that had gone down before he got here."