New Mexico Lobos vs Air Force Falcons Prediction, 1/20/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New Mexico Lobos vs Air Force Falcons

Date: Saturday, January 20, 2024

Location: Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, CO

TV: ESPN+

The Air Force Falcons (7-9) will go up against the New Mexico Lobos (15-3) at Clune Arena on Saturday.

The New Mexico Lobos took the court against Utah State and took home the win by a score of 99-86 in their last contest. New Mexico walked away from the game with a 57.4% field goal percentage (39 of 68) and knocked down 5 of their 19 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the free throw line, the Lobos made 16 of 17 shots for a rate of 94.1%. In reference to hauling in rebounds, they collected 28 with 4 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 21 assists for this contest as well as forcing 14 turnovers and having 12 steals. When discussing defense, New Mexico allowed 44.1% from the field on 30 of 68 shooting. Utah State recorded 14 dimes and had 2 steals for this game. On top of that, Utah State pulled down 34 boards (11 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Utah State ended up shooting 73.3% at the charity stripe by burying 22 of 30 tries. They also buried 4 out of their 17 tries from 3-point range. In reference to personal fouls, the Lobos walked away with 22 and Utah State accumulated 14 personal fouls.

Nelly Junior Joseph is one guy who was a factor for the matchup. He ended up going 91.7% from the field and distributed 1 assist. He played for 34 mins played and snagged 8 rebounds. He accumulated 26 points on 11 of 12 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Betting Picks

New Mexico heads into this contest with a win-loss record of 15-3 on the year. They are averaging 83.6 points per outing (23rd in the nation) while shooting 47.2% from the field. The Lobos are connecting on 33.4% on shots from beyond the arc (112 of 335) and 68.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, New Mexico is snagging 39.7 boards per game and is sitting with 288 assists on the season, which ranks 31st in college hoops in terms of passing the rock. They are turning it over 10.4 times per game and as a squad are committing 19.1 personal fouls every game.

Defensively, the Lobos are forcing 15.9 turnovers per game and they draw 19.2 fouls. They are currently ranked 228th in Division 1 in giving up assists with 230 surrendered on the year. The Lobos defensively are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 41.3% (430 of 1,042) and they relinquish 35.4 boards per game as a squad. They give up 30.5% on 3-point shots while they are 122nd in the nation in points per game from their opponents (69.3).

In their last game, the Air Force Falcons took a loss by a final score of 78-69 against Colorado State. In reference to how they attacked the glass, Air Force allowed Colorado State to get 32 in total (10 on the offensive side). They shot 41.7% from behind the 3-point line by shooting 10 of 24 and walked away from this one shooting 18 out of 23 from the charity stripe (78.3%). The Falcons allowed Colorado State to knock down 25 of their 57 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 43.9% for this game. When the final whistle was blown, the Falcons went 23 out of 56 from the field which gave them a rate of 41.1%. When discussing three-point shots, Air Force buried 10 out of 22 attempts (45.5%). They were able to bury 13 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 76.5%. Colorado State had 15 fouls in this matchup which got the Falcons to the charity stripe for a total of 17 attempts. They coughed it up 11 times, while earning 6 steals in the game. The Falcons were able to snag 24 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards totaling 35 for the game.

Rytis Petraitis ended up being a major contributor for the Falcons in this contest. He knocked down 6 out of 11 for this contest for a field goal rate of 54.5%, and earned 7 rebounds. He totaled 22 points in his 35 mins of playing time and had 5 assists for this game.

Air Force has a win-loss record of 7-9 on the campaign. The Falcons have committed 17.2 personal fouls per game and they shoot 68.3% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 14.8 times per contest (105th in the nation) and they turn it over 12.7 times per contest. Air Force has accumulated 1,080 pts on the season (67.5 per contest) and they grab 31.1 rebounds per contest. As an offense, the Falcons are connecting on 45.5% from the field, which ranks them 146th in college basketball.

The Air Force defense gives up 35.5% on 3-point shots (113 of 318) and opponents are converting on 71.5% of their foul shots. They have allowed 12.3 dimes and 32.6 rebounds every game, which is ranked 137th and 66th in D-1. The Falcons on defense are ranked 94th in college basketball in PPG given up with 67.7. They are forcing 12.4 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 43.8% from the floor (222nd in Division 1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take New Mexico

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here