Air Force Falcons vs New Mexico Lobos Prediction, 2/24/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Air Force Falcons vs New Mexico Lobos

Date: Saturday, February 24, 2024

Location: The Pit in Albuquerque, NM

TV: ESPN+

The Pit is where the New Mexico Lobos (21-6) will take on the Air Force Falcons (8-17) on Saturday.

The Air Force Falcons faced off with UNLV and took a loss by a score of 72-43 in their last game. Air Force ended the contest having earned a 34.6% field goal percentage (18 of 52) and converted 5 of their 28 3-point shots. At the free throw line, the Falcons made 2 of 3 attempts for a rate of 66.7%. When discussing getting rebounds, they collected a total of 17 with 6 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 9 dimes for the contest as well as forcing 11 turnovers and earning 7 steals. When it comes to defense, Air Force allowed their opponent to shoot 50.0% from the field on 26 of 52 shooting. UNLV doled out 8 assists and had 2 steals in this matchup. Furthermore, UNLV collected 41 rebounds (13 offensive, 28 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. UNLV finished 76.2% when shooting free throws by knocking down 16 of their 21 tries. They also buried 4 of their 13 shots from downtown. When talking about personal fouls, the Falcons ended up with 16 and UNLV racked up 10 personal fouls.

Ethan Taylor is one player who was a major contributor in this matchup. He accounted for 17 points on 6 out of 14 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 39 minutes and totaled 2 boards. He ended up going 42.9% from the floor and also totaled 2 assists.

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Air Force comes into this contest with a mark of 8-17 this season. They turn the ball over 12.3 times per contest and as a basketball team they commit 17.2 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Air Force is pulling down 29.1 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 372 assists for the campaign, which ranks 128th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. The Falcons are shooting 36.4% on shots beyond the perimeter (221 of 607) and 67.5% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 66.9 pts per game (327th in D-1) while hitting 45.3% from the floor.

On the defensive end of the court, the Falcons are able to force 11.8 turnovers per game while drawing 16.2 personal fouls. They relinquish 37.8% on shots from downtown and they rank 156th in D-1 in PPG allowed (71.1). The Falcons defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 46.8% (614 of 1,312) and they relinquish 32.3 rebounds per game as a unit. They currently rank 118th in college basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 318 relinquished for the season.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the New Mexico Lobos got the victory with a final of 68-66 when they faced Colorado State. In reference to team rebounding, New Mexico allowed Colorado State to grab 39 in all (5 offensive). They shot 30.0% from three-point range by shooting 6 out of 20 and walked away from this one shooting 12 of 15 at the charity stripe (80.0%). The Lobos allowed Colorado State to convert 24 of their 58 attempts from the field which left them shooting 41.4% in the matchup. When the final whistle was blown, the Lobos shot 24 for 64 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 37.5%. With regard to shots from 3-point land, New Mexico knocked down 5 out of 15 attempts (33.3%). They were able to convert 15 of those for a clip of 65.2%. Colorado State had 18 personal fouls for this contest which took the Lobos to the charity stripe for a total of 23 tries. They also gave up possession 4 times, while recording 7 steals for the game. The Lobos collected 28 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds for a total of 34 in this contest.

Donovan Dent ended up being a major contributor for the Lobos in the game. He scored 16 points in his 36 minutes on the court and had 3 assists for the matchup. He knocked down 4 out of 10 in this contest for a field goal percentage of 40.0%, and accounted for 3 rebounds.

New Mexico has a mark of 21-6 on the season. The Lobos are responsible for committing 18.1 fouls every game and they connect on 70.2% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 14.9 times per contest (79th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 10.2 times per contest. New Mexico has scored 2,240 pts for the campaign (83.0 per contest) and they average 38.9 boards per game. When it comes to offense, the Lobos are hitting on 46.5% from the floor, which is ranked 79th in Division 1.

The Lobos on the defensive side of the court are 145th in the country in PPG allowed with 70.8. They are able to force 15.1 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 42.9% from the field (144th in college basketball). The New Mexico defense allows 30.8% on three-point shots (169 of 549) and their opposition knocks down 71.6% of their foul shots. They give up 13.5 assists and 35.2 total boards per game, which has them ranked 239th and 204th in the country.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take New Mexico

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