New Mexico Lobos vs San Diego State Aztecs Prediction, 2/16/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New Mexico Lobos vs San Diego State Aztecs

Date: Friday, February 16, 2024

Location: Viejas Arena in San Diego, CA

TV: ESPN+

Viejas Arena is the location where the San Diego State Aztecs (19-6) will attempt to defeat the New Mexico Lobos (20-5) on Friday.

The New Mexico Lobos played Nevada and took home the win by a score of 83-82 in their last contest. Concerning personal fouls, the Lobos finished with 20 and Nevada had 13 personal fouls. They converted 6 out of their 18 tries from downtown. Nevada finished 81.8% from the free throw line by converting 18 of 22 tries. On top of that, Nevada pulled down 29 boards (9 offensive, 20 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Nevada earned 21 dimes and had 5 steals for the contest. In relation to defending, New Mexico allowed the other team to go 50.0% from the field on 29 out of 58 shooting. They also doled out 19 dimes for the contest while creating 7 turnovers and earning 7 steals. With regard to getting rebounds, they compiled a total of 32 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Lobos made 10 of their 17 attempts for a percentage of 58.8%. New Mexico ended the contest with a 50.0% field goal percentage (32 out of 64) and made 9 out of their 19 shots from 3-point land.

Jamal Mashburn is one player who was a major factor in this matchup. He finished 57.1% from the floor and distributed 1 assist. He played 23 mins but finished the game without grabbing a rebound. He ended up scoring 17 points on 4 out of 7 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Betting Picks

New Mexico heads into this one with a win-loss record of 20-5 on the campaign. They currently have an average of 84.1 points per outing (14th in D-1) while hitting 47.3% from the field. The Lobos are connecting on 35.2% on shots from beyond the arc (174 of 494) and 69.5% from the free throw line. As a unit, New Mexico is pulling down 39.2 boards per contest and has accounted for 386 dimes for the year, which is 49th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.1 times per contest and as a team they are committing 18.3 personal fouls per game.

On defense, the Lobos are forcing 15.0 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.3 fouls. They relinquish 30.5% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 143rd in D-1 in PPG allowed (70.6). The Lobos defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 42.4% (622 of 1,466) and they relinquish 35.1 boards per contest as a unit. They are currently ranked 249th in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 333 relinquished so far this season.

The last time they took the court, the San Diego State Aztecs took home the win by a final score of 71-55 when they played Colorado State. The Aztecs recorded 30 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive boards totaling 43 in this matchup. They also gave up possession 15 times, while recording 8 steals for this contest. Colorado State was called for 22 fouls in this contest which took the Aztecs to the charity stripe for 25 attempts. They were able to knock down 18 of the free throws for a percentage of 72.0%. When talking about 3-point attempts, San Diego State knocked down 5 of their 17 attempts (29.4%). When the final whistle was blown, the Aztecs shot 24 for 54 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.4%. The Aztecs permitted Colorado State to convert 19 out of 53 attempts from the floor which had them at 35.8% in the matchup. They finished 32.0% from three-point range by going 8 out of 25 and walked away from this one shooting 9 of 13 at the free throw line (69.2%). Regarding rebounds, San Diego State permitted Colorado State to get 22 in all (4 offensive).

Jaedon Ledee ended up having an impact for the Aztecs for the contest. He earned 27 points in his 26 minutes on the court, but didn't record an assist. He made 10 of 14 for the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 71.4%, and tallied 6 rebounds.

San Diego State has a mark of 19-6 for the season. The Aztecs are committing 17.6 fouls per contest and they shoot 73.5% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 12.6 times per game (236th in college basketball) and they turn it over 11.4 times per game. San Diego State has totaled 1,891 pts for the campaign (75.6 per contest) and they average 37.2 boards per game. As an offensive unit, the Aztecs are hitting on 45.0% from the field, which ranks them 164th in the country.

The Aztecs defensively are ranked 51st in college basketball in points given up per game with 66.8. They are able to force 13.1 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 40.9% from the floor (43rd in college hoops). The San Diego State defense allows 30.4% on shots from 3-point land (182 of 598) and their opponents are knocking down 70.5% of their free throw attempts. They have relinquished 11.9 dimes and 32.8 total boards per game, which has them ranked 97th and 74th in college hoops.

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