Utah State vs. New Mexico College Basketball prediction, preview
A couple of the top teams in the Mountain West meet on Wednesday night at The Pit, where to Lobos are always dangerous. New Mexico is off to an 11-0 start at home this season, in what’s been a terrific home court over the years — the winning streak extends to 20 games, dating back to last season.
The Lobos have won seven of their last eight games, with the loss coming as a road underdog to a formidable San Diego State team, in a game the Lobos covered the spread. New Mexico is riding a 10-3 ATS run, while Utah State has been going through some struggles. The Aggies are still 18-3 on the season, including 5-2 in true road games, but the dominance has not been there lately.
Utah State is just 1-5 ATS over the last six, with the cover coming in blowout fashion over a poor Wyoming team. The Aggies lost two outright as a favorite during that span, as a 5.5-point road favorite at Grand Canyon, and then a massive 15.5-point home favorite over UNLV in a stunner. The only other loss this team took also happened to be the only game this season they’ve been priced as an underdog — falling as a two-point dog at USF. Tonight will mark the second time this season the Aggies have been priced as the dog.
The lack of underdog spots for Utah State speaks to how few true tests this team has had, and that it might be due for some losses against stronger competition. The Pit has not been kind to the Aggies in recent years, going 1-7 ATS in their last eight trips. New Mexico ranks 26th in defensive rating on KenPom, and should be swarming on defense for a big nationally televised game on home court.
I believe all of those factors combined should mean we see Utah State’s struggles continue on Wednesday night.
