VCU Rams vs New Mexico Lobos Prediction, 12/18/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: VCU Rams vs New Mexico Lobos

Date: Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Location: The Pit in Albuquerque, NM

TV: ESPN+

The New Mexico Lobos (8-3) will take on the VCU Rams (9-2) at The Pit on Wednesday.

The VCU Rams played Colorado State and took home the win by a score of 76-68 in their last game. In regard to fouls, the Rams left the arena with 13 and Colorado State recorded 18 fouls. They made 5 of their 15 tries from 3-point range. Colorado State finished 84.6% at the charity stripe by knocking down 11 of 13 attempts. Additionally, Colorado State snagged 28 rebounds (5 offensive, 23 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Colorado State earned 11 dimes and had 3 steals in this contest. In the matter of the defense, VCU allowed their opponent to shoot 51.0% from the field on 26 of 51 shooting. They also recorded 14 assists in this game in addition to forcing the opposition into 14 turnovers and having 8 steals. Concerning rebounding, they compiled 32 with 12 of them being of the offensive sort. At the free throw line, the Rams knocked down 15 of their 25 shots for a rate of 60.0%. VCU walked away from the game with a 43.9% FG percentage (25 of 57) and converted 11 out of their 30 3-point attempts.

Joseph Bamisile is a guy who played a role in the game. He finished the game at 50.0% from the field and also totaled 1 assist. He played 25 minutes and totaled 9 boards. He finished with 25 points on 8 of 16 shooting.

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VCU enters this matchup with a record of 9-2 for the campaign. They turn it over 12.5 times per contest and as a group they are committing 18.5 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, VCU is snagging 38.4 boards per contest and has earned 169 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 95th in the country in terms of passing. The Rams are connecting on 32.2% on shots from 3-point land (105 of 326) and 71.4% from the free throw line. They have an average of 77.1 points per outing (157th in college) while shooting 44.5% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Rams have forced 15.8 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.0 personal fouls. They are giving up 28.2% on three-point shots and they are 8th in college hoops in PPG allowed (59.0). The Rams defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 37.5% (223 of 595) and they relinquish 33.9 rebounds per contest as a team. They are currently ranked 28th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 102 relinquished on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the New Mexico Lobos got the victory with a final of 122-70 when they played Western New Mexico. With respect to rebounds, New Mexico permitted Western New Mexico to get 22 in all (6 on the offensive glass). They finished the game shooting 35.0% from distance by hitting 7 out of 20 and ended up shooting 7 of 12 at the free throw line (58.3%). The Lobos permitted Western New Mexico to bury 28 of 59 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.5% in this matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Lobos walked away from this one shooting 47 out of 78 from the field which gave them a rate of 60.3%. In the matter of shots from beyond the arc, New Mexico made 14 of their 28 tries (50.0%). They were able to bury 14 of the free throws for a percentage of 82.4%. Western New Mexico was called for 14 personal fouls for the matchup which got the Lobos to the free throw line for a total of 17 tries. They also gave up possession of the ball 11 times, while getting 17 steals for the contest. The Lobos were able to corral 26 defensive boards and 12 offensive boards totaling 38 for the contest.

Jovan Milicevic was important for the Lobos for the matchup. He earned 21 points in his 19 mins on the hardwood and had 4 dimes for this contest. He knocked down 8 out of 11 in this game giving him a rate of 72.7%, and added 6 rebounds.

New Mexico has a win-loss record of 8-3 so far this season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Lobos are connecting on 46.3% from the floor, which is 133rd in the nation. New Mexico has 966 pts on the season (87.8 per contest) and they collect 39.9 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 18.8 times per game (14th in the country) and they are giving up possession 11.9 times per contest. The Lobos are committing 18.6 fouls every game and they connect on 66.9% from the free throw line.

The New Mexico defense allows 38.5% on shots from beyond the arc (92 of 239) and opponents are making 65.2% of their shots from the free throw line. They give up 15.7 dimes and 37.4 boards every game, ranking them 337th and 302nd in those categories on the defensive end. The Lobos on the defensive side of the court are 288th in college in points given up per game with 75.8. They are able to force 17.7 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 45.0% from the floor (276th in D-1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take VCU

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