New Mexico vs San Diego State NCAAB Lines

The Mountain West is as strong this season in men’s basketball as it ever has been, and two conference contenders and lock NCAA Tournament teams meet on Friday as New Mexico visits San Diego State with the Aztecs as solid favorites on the NCAAB odds. 2024 NCAA Basketball Betting & Expert Analysis New Mexico vs San Diego State | MyBookie Sportsbook Week 15 NCAAB

How to Bet New Mexico at San Diego State NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

When: Friday, 10 PM ET
Where: Viejas Arena, San Diego
TV: Fox Sports 1
Stream: Fox Sports Live
Radio: Tunein.com
Opening NCAAB Lines: SDSU -5.5 (total 153)

New Mexico vs San Diego State Last Meeting

Arguably San Diego State’s worst outing of the season was Jan. 13 at New Mexico with the Lobos rolling 88-70, but they do have one of the best home-court advantages in the country. Jaelen House led the Lobos with 26 points and five assists. JT Toppin had 17 points and five blocks, while Jamal Mashburn, Jr. added 19 points. The Lobos tied a school record with 14 blocks, led by five each from Toppin and Nelly Junior Joseph, marking the third-most blocks ever in a Mountain West game and the most in the league since 2007. SDSU was ranked No. 19 then, and the 18-point margin was the Lobos’ largest against a ranked opponent since an 85-58 win over No. 6 Nevada in 2018-19. UNM handed the Aztecs their largest margin of defeat in two years since a 75-57 loss at Utah State in 2021-22.

Why Bet on New Mexico Lobos?

New Mexico (20-5, 8-4 Mountain West) comes off a terrific 83-82 win at Nevada on Tuesday as the Wolf Pack are also crazy hard to beat at home. Down by nine fairly late in the second half, Nevada raised its intensity and put together an 11-0 run over the next 2:23, as the Pack took a 73-71 lead over the Lobos with just 4:13 on the clock.

New Mexico Last 5

@ Nevada – W83-82

vs UNLV – L80-77

@ Wyoming – W91-73

vs Boise State – L86-78

vs Nevada – W89-55

UNM’s Jamal Mashburn Jr. hit a bucket from long range that tied the game 80-all with 1:13 to play, and he capped the scoring with a corner 3 with 20 seconds left. Nevada’s Kenan Blackshear missed a jumper to end it. Mashburn led the Lobos with 17 points.

“I am proud of Mash. People have been beating him up, and he beats himself up, after the last game. That’s why I stick with him. He has the ability to make huge shots. Those two threes at the end, to tie and put us up one, were huge shots. Baker played awesome and he got the stop at the end. Great effort by our entire team to get this win,” said UNM coach Richard Pitino.

The Wolf Pack struggled defensively, allowing the Lobos to shoot 50.0 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from behind the arc, and the Pack was outrebounded by UNM, 36-31.

Jaelen House added 13 points and four assists for New Mexico, while Mustapha Amzil had 12 points off the bench. Nelly Junior Joseph had his fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while JT Toppin just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. Donovan Dent had nine points to go with seven assists. Dent did hurt his ankle on the final play of the game and may have to sit Friday.

New Mexico’s four straight road wins is its longest road MW win streak since a five-game conference win streak in 2013-14. It is looking to win five Mountain West road games in a season for the first time since 2016-17. The Lobos have their best 25-game start to a season (20-5) since starting 2013-14 with a 20-5 record.

Of New Mexico’s 20 wins this season, 15 have come by double digits. In every UNM victory this season, the Lobos have led by double digits at some point during the game. Seven of New Mexico’s Mountain West wins this season have come by double digits, its most double-digit conference wins since eight in 2013-14. UNM is one of two teams in the nation (Louisville) with five different players posting a 26-point game this year. It is also one of two schools nationally leading its conference in both blocks and steals per game (Long Beach State).

The Lobos are looking to be the first team win in consecutive years at Viejas Arena since Fresno State in 2018 and 2019 and trying to sweep the season series from the Aztecs for the first time since 2016-17.

Bet New Mexico to Win
MyBookie College Basketball Lines

Why Bet on San Diego State Aztecs?

SDSU (19-6, 8-4 MW) dominated a good Colorado State team on Tuesday, 71-55. It was San Diego State’s 18th straight home win, tied for the third-longest streak in program history. It’s tied with four other schools for the longest active streak in the country (also Kansas, Houston, Drake and Morehead State).

San Diego State Last 5

vs Colorado State – W71-55

@ Nevada – L70-66

@ Air Force – W77-64

vs Utah State – W81-67

@ Colorado State – L79-71

The first half Tuesday saw CSU start up 14-2, hitting their first four 3-pointers, three by Josiah Strong. The Rams led by double figures for most of the half. SDSU cut the lead to six twice, but never closer than that. Colorado State shot 57.1% in the first 20 minutes including making 7-for-14 3s to lead by 14 at the break.

The second half was a different story as San Diego State outscored the Rams 41-11 holding CSU to 3-of-25 (12.0%) shooting. With 9:47 left in regulation, a pair of Jay Pal free throws gave San Diego State their first lead since the first possession of the game. From that point on, the defense surrendered just three points to the Rams ending the game on an 18-3 scoring run. The 11 points allowed were their fewest points allowed in any half in their Mountain West era (since 1999-00) and the fewest the Rams have totaled in a half in the same timeframe.

Trailing early has been an issue of late. In the first five minutes of the last five games, the Aztecs have outscored 58-25. That’s an average of five points over five minutes, or a 40-point pace for an entire game. They’re fine after that, plus-64 points in those five games over the final 35 minutes.

“After we lost at their place and they got off to a great start, I’m so smart that I said, ‘Well, everybody has a game plan until you get punched in the mouth. So let’s go out there and punch them in the mouth.’ Then I look up and they punched us in the mouth. We’re down again. We had to take a punch and find a way to fight back,” Coach Brian Dutcher said after Tuesday’s win.

Jaedon LeDee was the second half spark after missing the majority of the first 20 minutes due to early foul trouble. He put up 21 points in the second half, including 14 of the team’s first 16. His 27 total points led all scorers. Lamont Butler recorded the first double-double of his career with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds. He also had three of SDSU’s eight steals. Darrion Trammell was the third and final Aztec in double-figures, scoring 11 points and adding a game-high five assists. LeDee leads the team in scoring (20.3 ppg) and rebounding (8.5 rpg).

Since the start of the 2013-14 season, when the current slate of MW members was finalized, SDSU has an 86-11 record in Mountain West home games, the best mark in the conference. Boise State has the second-best record 76-20 (.792). Overall, SDSU has won 68 of its 73 home games since the start of the 2019-20 season, and its five home losses are tied for the third fewest in the nation in that time frame.

San Diego State is currently 12-0 in Viejas Arena this year but has never had an undefeated home season slate as a Division I program. The last time the Aztecs made it through the home portion of the schedule unscathed was 1966-67. In the Mountain West era, SDSU has a 27-24 lead in the series vs. UNM, and at Viejas Arena is 15-8 against New Mexico.

Bet San Diego State to Win
MyBookie College Basketball Lines

New Mexico vs San Diego State Expert Prediction

San Diego State 75, New Mexico 70

NCAA Basketball Odds to Win Championship – Top 10

Purdue Boilermakers +630	UConn Huskies +630
Houston Cougars +890	Arizona Wildcats +1125
Tennessee Volunteers +1250	North Carolina Tar Heels +1675
Auburn Tigers +1700	Alabama Crimson Tide +1950
Marquette Golden Eagles +2100	Kansas Jayhawks +200