We have a late night Mountain West Conference showdown in Reno on Tuesday as the New Mexico Lobos hit the road to take on the Nevada Wolf Pack. Tipoff is set for 11 p.m. ET and the game will air on CBS Sports Network. New Mexico crushed Nevada 89-55 in their last meeting on January 28.
New Mexico (19-5, 7-4 MWC) fell out of the AP Top 25 this week and that was a result of its 80-77 loss to UNLV on Saturday. The Lobos shot just 35.4% from the field during this contest and the Runnin’ Rebels were able to hit their free throws in the final minute to seal the upset. Donovan Dent and Jaelen House both dropped 20 points for UNM in the loss.
Nevada (19-5, 6-4 MWC) has crawled back into the conference title race with three straight wins and came up huge with a 70-66 overtime victory over San Diego State on Friday. These two squads went back and forth throughout the entire game and the Wolf Pack were able to get the last laugh in OT when a Tre Coleman layup and a pair of Kenan Blackshear free throws gave them the final edge. Despite committing six turnovers, Blackshear led with 22 points.
As mentioned before, New Mexico absolutely dominated Nevada the last time they played and that domination came on the defensive end of the floor. The Lobos held the Pack to just 33.9% shooting and they were able to turn 15 turnovers into 25 points on the other end. Nevada will have the benefit of being at home this time around, where it is 12-1 this season. The Wolf Pack will need to do a better job at taking care of the ball and as one of the best free throw shooting teams in the country, they will need to find ways to create those extra scoring opportunities tonight.
What this game means for New Mexico
New Mexico has been at or near the top of the Mountain West Conference standings throughout league play, but has hit some choppy waters as of late. The Lobos have lost two of its last three and are now a game behind Utah State. With the MWC title race being a multi-team fistfight right now, they cannot afford to slide further back. They need a win in Reno tonight.
What this game means for Nevada
Nevada has regained some of their juice in the last few weeks by winning four of its last five games. That has put the Wolf Pack right back into the MWC title race and they are gunning to climb further up the standings. Avenging their blowout loss to the Lobos would be a huge shot in the arm for this team as we enter mid-February.
New Mexico vs. Nevada odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Nevada -2
Total: 155
Moneyline: Nevada -142, New Mexico +120