New Mexico Lobos vs Utah State Aggies Prediction, 3/9/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: New Mexico Lobos vs Utah State Aggies

Date: Saturday, March 9, 2024

Location: Dee Glen Smith Spectrum in Logan, UT

TV: ESPN+

The New Mexico Lobos (22-8) are hitting the road to Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday where they will try to defeat the Utah State Aggies (25-5).

The New Mexico Lobos faced Fresno State and earned the victory with a final of 79-58 in their last contest. New Mexico finished the contest with a 38.0% field goal percentage (30 out of 79) and made 9 of 29 3-point shots. From the free throw line, the Lobos made 10 of their 12 attempts for a rate of 83.3%. In reference to hauling in boards, they collected 50 with 16 of them being offensive. They also distributed 18 dimes in this game in addition to forcing 10 turnovers and getting 7 steals. In the matter of defense, New Mexico allowed the other team to go 32.7% from the floor on 18 of 55 shooting. Fresno State doled out 10 assists and had 5 steals in this contest. Furthermore, Fresno State grabbed 31 boards (4 offensive, 27 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Fresno State walked away from this one shooting 75.0% at the charity stripe by knocking down 15 of 20 attempts. They also made 7 out of their 26 attempts from beyond the perimeter. When it comes to fouls, the Lobos ended up finishing with 13 and Fresno State totaled 14 fouls.

Jamal Mashburn is a guy who was a major contributor for this game. He finished the contest at 38.5% from the field and also recorded 4 assists. He played for 22 mins but did not grab any rebounds. He notched 19 points on 5 of 13 shooting.

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New Mexico will enter this game with a mark of 22-8 on the campaign. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.1 times per game and as a group are committing 17.9 fouls per game. As a unit, New Mexico is collecting 39.3 boards per game and has racked up 443 dimes on the season, which is 90th in the country in terms of passing. The Lobos are hitting 33.7% on shots from beyond the arc (202 of 599) and 70.8% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 82.5 pts per game (18th in Division 1) while connecting on 46.1% from the field.

On defense, the Lobos are forcing their opponents into 14.4 turnovers per game and they draw 18.3 fouls. They are 227th in the nation in giving up assists to their opponents with 401 surrendered so far this season. The Lobos defense is allowing a FG percentage of 42.9% (754 of 1,759) and they concede 35.1 boards per contest as a team. They surrender 31.3% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 156th in college basketball in points per game allowed (71.2).

When they last played, the Utah State Aggies got the victory with a final of 90-70 when they faced San Jose State. The Aggies pulled down 24 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 32 in the game. They also turned the ball over 4 times, while earning 4 steals for this game. San Jose State committed 18 fouls for the contest which took the Aggies to the free throw line for a total of 21 attempts. They were able to make 12 of the free throws for a clip of 57.1%. In terms of shooting from beyond the arc, Utah State converted 16 of their 27 tries (59.3%). When the final whistle blew, the Aggies shot 31 for 58 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 53.4%. The Aggies permitted San Jose State to make 28 out of their 57 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 49.1% for this contest. They shot 35.0% from 3-point land by connecting on 7 of 20 and finished the game at 7 of 9 at the charity stripe (77.8%). In the matter of team rebounding, Utah State permitted San Jose State to grab 25 in total (4 offensive).

Darius Brown was important for the Aggies in this matchup. He racked up 21 points in his 38 mins on the hardwood and had 9 assists in this matchup. He buried 7 out of 9 in this game giving him a rate of 77.8%, and accounted for 5 rebounds.

Utah State has a win-loss record of 25-5 for the campaign. The Aggies are responsible for committing 16.8 fouls per contest and they hit 71.6% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 16.6 times per game (23rd in college hoops) and they lose possession via turnover 11.3 times per game. Utah State has accounted for 2,389 pts on the season (79.6 per contest) and they grab 36.4 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Aggies are shooting 49.7% from the field, which has them ranked 8th in college basketball.

The Utah State defense gives up 27.9% on three-point shots (179 of 642) and their opponents are making 73.2% of their foul shots. They have surrendered 12.4 dimes and 31.7 rebounds every game, which is ranked 136th and 28th in D-1. The Aggies defensively are ranked 95th in college hoops in PPG given up with 69.1. They are forcing their opponents into 12.1 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 43.2% from the field (155th in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take New Mexico

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