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March Madness comes to Mesilla restaurant

Posted

BY MIKE COOK

Las Cruces Bulletin

LAS CRUCES - The voice of the New Mexico State University Aggies, Jack Nixon, and Las Cruces promoter Stan Blitz will give a detailed history of the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, in La Posta de Mesilla’s Fiesta Room.

The cost is $13.50 per person plus tax and tip, Blitz said, including a buffet meal.

Nixon, the Aggies’ play-by-play announcer for 38 of the past 42 years, will discuss NMSU’ Final Four appearance in 1970 when the Aggies defeated Rice, Kansas State and Drake in the Midwest Regional, lost to UCLA 93-77 in the national semi-finals and defeated St. Bonaventure 79-73 in the third-place game.

Las Cruces promoter Stan Blitz Las Cruces promoter Stan BlitzNixon will also bring up Texas Western (now the University of Texas at El Paso), which won the race-conscious 1966 national championship under Coach Don Haskins.

Blitz will highlight the 1957 national championship game in Kansas City, Missouri, which he considers the best Final Four game ever, when North Carolina (31-0) defeated Kansas (24-2) 54-53 in triple overtime.

The center for the Kansas Jayhawks was future NBA hall-of-famer Wilt Chamberlain. Blitz and Chamberlain both attended Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, Blitz said. He met Chamberlain twice and considers him “the greatest player of all time and a gentleman.”

“I’m a basketball fan,” Blitz said. “I love the game.”

Nixon and Blitz will touch on the Villanova Wildcats’ recent wins, the long reign of the John Wooden-coached UCLA Bruins (10 national championships) and other outstanding games. The two will also field questions from the audience.

For reservations and more information, call 575-524-3524.

Mike Cook may be contacted at mike@lascrucesbulletin.com.


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