Southern Utah Thunderbirds vs New Mexico State Aggies Prediction, 12/31/1969 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Southern Utah Thunderbirds vs New Mexico State Aggies

Date: Monday, December 16, 2024

Location: Pan American Center in Las Cruces, NM

TV: ESPN+

The New Mexico State Aggies (4-6) will try to beat the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (8-3) at Pan American Center on Monday.

The Southern Utah Thunderbirds faced off with Arizona and took a loss by a score of 102-66 in their last game. With respect to personal fouls, the Thunderbirds ended up finishing with 23 and Arizona totaled 17 personal fouls. They converted 6 out of their 16 attempts from downtown. Arizona shot 77.8% at the charity stripe by making 28 of 36 shots. Moreover, Arizona collected 41 rebounds (12 offensive, 29 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Arizona distributed 23 assists and had 13 steals for this game. Concerning defense, Southern Utah allowed their opponent to shoot 50.0% from the floor on 34 out of 68 shooting. They also distributed 14 assists for this game in addition to creating 9 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In relation to pulling down rebounds, they earned 28 with 9 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Thunderbirds made 8 of 15 attempts for a percentage of 53.3%. Southern Utah walked away from the contest having earned a 37.5% field goal percentage (24 of 64) and converted 10 of 28 three-point attempts.

Jamir Simpson is a guy who was a factor for this contest. He recorded 21 points on 8 of 15 shooting. He played for 33 minutes played and also snagged 7 boards. He finished 53.3% from the field and totaled 4 assists.

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Southern Utah enters this matchup with a win-loss record of 8-3 for the season. They are giving up possession 13.7 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 16.5 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Southern Utah is grabbing 40.2 boards per contest and has accounted for 152 assists for the season, which ranks 118th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Thunderbirds are hitting 33.9% on three-point shots (82 of 242) and 71.8% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 78.3 pts per contest (127th in D-1) while hitting 45.5% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Thunderbirds are forcing 11.0 turnovers every game while drawing 20.2 personal fouls. They are 300th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 152 surrendered for the year. The Thunderbirds are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 40.7% (299 of 734) and they concede 36.8 boards per game as a group. They are giving up 30.9% on 3-pointers and they rank 197th in college basketball in PPG allowed (71.7).

In their last game, the New Mexico State Aggies walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 91-67 against Texas. The Aggies were able to corral 15 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive boards for a total of 22 for this contest. They also coughed up the ball 15 times, while earning 4 steals for this game. Texas had 14 personal fouls in this game which got the Aggies to the free throw line for a total of 13 tries. They were able to bury 11 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 84.6%. When talking about shots from beyond the arc, New Mexico State converted 6 of 18 attempts (33.3%). In all, the Aggies shot 25 out of 56 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.6%. The Aggies allowed Texas to make 34 out of their 58 tries from the field which had them shooting 58.6% for the game. They finished 35.3% from distance by going 6 out of 17 and finished the game at 17 of 23 at the free throw line (73.9%). In regard to cleaning the glass, New Mexico State permitted Texas to pull down 32 in total (7 offensive).

Christian Cook ended up being important for the Aggies in the matchup. He converted 9 out of 16 in this matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 56.3%, and added 4 rebounds. He earned 22 points in his 37 mins on the court, but wasn't able to earn an assist.

New Mexico State has a record of 4-6 on the season. The Aggies have committed 22.8 personal fouls per game and they connect on 65.4% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 11.9 times per game (313th in the country) and they lose possession via turnover 14.0 times per game. New Mexico State has accounted for 725 pts for the season (72.5 per game) and they pull in 41.1 rebounds per contest. On the offensive side of the ball, the Aggies are shooting 41.4% from the field, which is ranked 314th in college basketball.

The Aggies on the defensive side of the court are 262nd in Division 1 in PPG given up with 74.3. They are forcing their opponents into 10.0 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 40.0% from the field (62nd in college basketball). The New Mexico State defense concedes 31.2% on 3-pointers (78 of 250) and their opposition knocks down 66.6% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have conceded 14.1 assists and 37.2 rebounds every game, which is 260th and 294th in college basketball.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Southern Utah

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