Colorado State Rams vs New Mexico Lobos Prediction, 2/21/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Colorado State Rams vs New Mexico Lobos

Date: Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Location: The Pit in Albuquerque, NM

TV: ESPN+

The Colorado State Rams (20-6) are traveling to The Pit on Wednesday where they will play the New Mexico Lobos (20-6).

The Colorado State Rams stepped onto the hardwood against Utah State and earned the victory with a final of 75-55 in their last contest. When it comes to fouls, the Rams walked away with 15 and Utah State recorded 20 fouls. They also knocked down 4 of their 15 attempts from beyond the arc. Utah State finished the game at 50.0% from the free throw line by making 7 of their 14 shots. On top of that, Utah State had 30 rebounds (6 offensive, 24 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Utah State earned 13 dimes and had 5 steals for the contest. When it comes to defending, Colorado State let their opponent shoot 38.6% from the field on 22 of 57 shooting. They also doled out 20 dimes in this game as well as forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In the matter of grabbing boards, they collected 42 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Rams converted 15 of their 19 shots for a rate of 78.9%. Colorado State finished the game having earned a 45.2% FG percentage (28 of 62) and made 4 out of their 23 three-point shots.

Isaiah Stevens is one guy who was a major contributor in this game. He recorded 18 points on 4 out of 12 shooting. He played for 32 mins and totaled 3 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 33.3% from the floor and earned 8 assists.

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Colorado State comes into this one with a mark of 20-6 for the campaign. They average 77.9 pts per game (76th in college basketball) on 49.8% from the floor. The Rams are hitting 35.5% from downtown (205 of 577) and 76.6% from the charity stripe. As a team, Colorado State is collecting 32.5 rebounds per game and has 499 assists this year, which is 2nd in the country in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 10.4 times per contest and as a team they are committing 16.4 fouls every game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Rams are able to force 12.6 turnovers every game while drawing 16.6 fouls. They surrender 32.5% on shots from distance and they are 77th in the nation in points per game from their opponents (67.8). The Rams defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 43.5% (645 of 1,483) and they surrender 32.6 rebounds per game as a group. They rank 107th in college basketball in giving up assists with 308 surrendered this year.

In their last game, the New Mexico Lobos walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 81-70 against San Diego State. The Lobos earned 17 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds totaling 31 in this matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 18 times, while earning 11 steals for the contest. San Diego State was called for 22 personal fouls for this contest which got the Lobos to the free throw line for 23 shots. They were able to knock down 21 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 91.3%. Pertaining to shooting from distance, New Mexico made 5 of 22 attempts (22.7%). When all was said and done, the Lobos ended up going 22 for 62 from the field which had them sitting at 35.5%. The Lobos permitted San Diego State to make 29 of their 51 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 56.9% for the game. They finished 41.2% from beyond the perimeter by connecting on 7 of 17 and ended up shooting 16 of 23 from the free throw line (69.6%). In regard to rebounding, New Mexico allowed San Diego State to collect 28 in all (7 on the offensive side).

Jaelen House pitched in for the Lobos in this matchup. He made 6 of 13 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 46.2%, and had 3 rebounds. He racked up 22 points in his 34 mins of playing time and accounted for 2 dimes for the matchup.

New Mexico has a record of 20-6 for the campaign. The Lobos have committed 18.2 personal fouls per contest and they hit 70.4% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 15.1 times per game (74th in the nation) and they are turning it over 10.5 times per contest. New Mexico has tallied 2,172 pts so far this year (83.5 per contest) and they grab 38.9 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the court, the Lobos are hitting on 46.9% from the field, which ranks them 66th in the country.

The Lobos defensively are ranked 156th in D-1 in PPG given up with 71.0. They are forcing 15.2 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 42.9% from the floor (145th in college basketball). The New Mexico defense surrenders 30.8% on shots from beyond the arc (163 of 529) and opponents are converting on 71.3% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 13.6 dimes and 35.0 rebounds per contest, which ranks 249th and 193rd in the country.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take New Mexico

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