ST. LOUIS — It wasn’t a completely lost day for Duke.
At least one alum had a reason to smile Friday afternoon.
In his first trip to the NCAA Tournament as a head coach, Johnny Dawkins and No. 10 Stanford upset seventh-seeded New Mexico, 58-53, in a NCAA Tournament South Region second round game at the Scottrade Center.
The Cardinal won their first tournament game since 2008 — the last time they was in the field. Dawkins, a nine-year NBA veteran, spent much of the season on the hot seat, after five underwhelming seasons in Palo Alto. Stanford will meet the No. 2 Kansas-No. 15 Eastern Kentucky winner on Sunday.
“This team will always have a place in my heart for what we’re accomplishing,” Dawkins said. “It’s the first chance for me as a head coach to get in the Tournament, and I’ll always remember the kids who got me there.
“We’re in the Tournament, and we’re going to try to make the most of our opportunity.”
Stanford (22-12) was firmly on the bubble entering Selection Sunday, and even after getting in, it was overlooked as a stepping stone to a New Mexico-Kansas third-round matchup. Instead, Stanford is 40 minutes away from the Sweet 16.
Junior guard Chasson Randle — the second-leading scorer in the Pac-12 — was the best player on the floor, taking and making big shots to score 23 points. Stefan Nastic and Anthony Brown added 10 points apiece.
Cameron Bairstow, the Aussie star forward, scored a game-high 24 points for the Lobos (27-7). But senior point guard Kendall Williams, hounded by his former AAU teammate Brown, managed just three points on 1-of-9 shooting.
“I just know some of his tendencies. I felt I could get into his head a little bit,” Brown said. “We didn’t want to let him get in a rhythm early. He started getting passive.”
A 7-0 Stanford run, fueled by a Randle 3-pointer, broke a 45-all tie, as New Mexico managed just a Bairstow basket over a 7:52 stretch. New Mexico did get within two with 30.6 seconds left, but Robbie Lemmons hit two free throws for Stanford.
New Mexico, upset as a three-seed by No. 14 Harvard a year ago, had another short stay in the Big Dance after winning the Mountain West Conference tournament. So much for being under-seeded.
The Lobos trailed 20-4 just 6:22 in, a combination of a sluggish start at both ends of the floor and Stanford’s stunning shooting. The Cardinal made seven of their first eight shots, including three 3-pointers.