This matchup between the Auburn Tigers and New Mexico Lobos will take place at Stan Sheriff Center. Action begins at 2:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 22 and will air on ESU and ES3.
The Lobos are hoping for a better outcome after their 90-89 loss to Rice on Saturday. Tim Williams played well, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds, and two assists for New Mexico. The Tigers, meanwhile, are coming off a deflating 85-61 loss at the hands of Xavier on Saturday. Kareem Canty had a game-high 25 points.
New Mexico, a five-point favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Auburn. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at 159 points. The Lobos enter the game with records of 7-3 Straight Up (SU) and 5-2 Against The Spread (ATS). The Lobos are one of the best in Division I in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting an impressive .476 from the field. Spreading the ball around is a huge part of New Mexico’s offense. They are 33rd in the nation in assists with an average of 17.2 per game.
Over on the other bench, the Tigers have 5-3 SU and 4-3 ATS records. Teams don’t seem to hit many three-pointers against the Tigers, who are 30th in the country in terms of three-point field goals allowed at 56 this season.
New Mexico and Auburn will be facing off for their first head-to-head game in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Auburn, ATS Winner – Auburn, O/U – Over
Notes
In its last game, Auburn lost by a margin of 24 points. New Mexico is 4-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Auburn has a 2-1 record in blowouts.
With 72.6 possessions and 1.093 points per possession, the New Mexico Lobos perform worse on both metrics than the Auburn Tigers. Auburn averages 74.7 possessions and 1.124 points per possession.
The New Mexico Lobos average an effective field goal percentage of 53.2% this season. The Auburn Tigers are a winless 0-2 when opponents have an eFG% of 53.2% or greater.
On average, the New Mexico Lobos attempt 18.0 three point field goals per game and the Auburn Tigers attempt 25.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, New Mexico has a winning 3-1 record, while Auburn is 4-3.
New Mexico ranks 80th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.26. Auburn is ranked lower at 127th with an A/TO of 1.14.
Auburn ranks 126th in offensive rebounds, while New Mexico ranks at 83rd in defensive rebounds.
On average, New Mexico forces a turnover rate of 18.5%. When Auburn turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 2-1 record.
