Two Mountain West heavyweights, Utah State and New Mexico, square off tonight at one of the toughest venues in the country.
Utah State (18-3, 9-2 MWC) is on the road to face New Mexico (18-4, 9-2) at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico. If the Aggies win, they’ll move back into first place in the league after their 71-66 win over San Diego State (16-6, 10-2) on Saturday.
The Aggies dominated the Aztecs in the post. They outscored San Diego State 40-22 in the paint and outrebounded the top team in the conference 46-31. Six-foot-9 junior Karson Templin came off the bench to lead the team with 18 points and seven rebounds. Six-foot-9 freshman Adlan Elamin, making his 13th start of the season, added 13 points and eight rebounds.
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New Mexico is coming off a 90-80 win over San Jose State. Freshman Jake Hall continued making his case for Mountain West Freshman of the Year with a team-high 27 points. He was 10-of-14 from the floor and 7-of-9 from 3-point range. Fellow freshman Tomislav Buljan added a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and yet another freshman, Uriah Tenette, came off the bench to finish with 14 points.
New Mexico is the only team in the country with three freshmen averaging double-digit points a game: Hall (15.5), Buljan (12.4), and Tenette (11.2). Hall leads all freshmen with 68 3-pointers, and Buljan is one of three freshmen in the country averaging a double-double.
The Lobos have won four straight games and eight of the past nine. Their lone loss in that stretch was an 83-79 setback at San Diego State.
New Mexico is even more difficult to beat at The Pit. The Lobos have won 23 straight games at home, dating back to last season. They’re 12-0 in the 15,000-seat arena this season, and they’ve won 16 consecutive home games against Mountain West teams. They’re 56-9 at home since the beginning of the 2022-23 season.
Utah State at New Mexico Odds
New Mexico is a 2.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM as of this writing, and the Over/Under is 156.5 points.
The Moneyline is at -135 for New Mexico and +110 for Utah State.
Utah State leads the all-time series 34-15, but New Mexico has won two straight against the Aggies, and the Lobos are 7-4 at home in the series.
Utah State at New Mexico on TV
The Mountain West game featuring Utah State and New Mexico will be televised on FS1.
Tip-off is scheduled for 11 p.m. ET.
Utah State at New Mexico Prediction
I predict New Mexico wins 80-76.
Utah State may be the best team in the Mountain West. They have plenty of experience all over the lineup, especially with Mason Falslev and MJ Collins, who are two of the most seasoned veterans in the league. The Aggies have the big men to dominate around the rim, they rarely turn the ball over, they play stingy defense, and they have two talented point guards to run the offense.
The problem is they’re heading into one of the most raucous arenas in the country against what may be the best collection of freshmen in the country. Buljan and Hall are probably the favorites for Mountain West Freshman of the Year, Tenette can score with the best in the league, and the Lobos lead the conference with 37 rebounds a game.
