It will be a battle between Mountain West opponents when the Utah State Aggies (11-11) welcome the New Mexico Lobos (14-9) to Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Action starts at 10:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 9 and will air on CCS.
The Aggies were blown out by Wyoming 84-65 on Saturday. Jalen Moore finished with 17 points to lead the team. The Lobos, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 78-71 loss against San Diego State on Saturday. Tim Williams played well for New Mexico, accounting for 21 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.
Elijah Brown and Williams have upped their production over the last five games for the Lobos. Brown has averaged 25.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.0 steal, and 3.4 three-pointers during that stretch, while Williams has put up 21.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 1.4 blocks.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Lobos won the first game 77-59. Williams was a standout player in the game, producing 21 points, eight rebounds, one assist, one steal, and two blocks.
The Aggies come into this game 11-11 Straight Up (SU) and 7-12 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-3 ATS over their last 10 games. The Aggies have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 79.7 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 71.9 points per game.
On the other side, the Lobos have 14-9 SU and 13-8 ATS records. New Mexico has not performed well ATS during its last 10 games, earning a 3-7 record. Offensively, the Lobos have really sputtered in the last 10 games. Their season average has fallen to 78.0 points per game after averaging only 70.1 during that stretch. The Lobos convert their shots at a high percentage, ranking 35th in the country at .475.
Following the Lobos’ latest win over Utah State, their SU record is now 4-1 over Utah State in their most recent meetings. With a 3-2 record, the Lobos also have the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, New Mexico held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last five meetings. Utah State never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – NM, ATS Winner – NM
Notes
New Mexico averages 78.0 points per game (ranked 66th). Utah State, on the other hand, allows 71.6 points per game (ranked 145th).
In its last game, Utah State lost by a margin of 19 points. New Mexico is 7-2 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Utah State has a 4-3 record in blowouts.
Utah State has an average field goal percentage of 44.5%. New Mexico is an abysmal 1-5 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Utah State Aggies rank lower for their field goal percentage (147th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (120th), but the New Mexico Lobos have a better FG% ranking (35th) than eFG% ranking (70th).
New Mexico ranks 94th in assists, recording 14.9 per game. Utah State performs worse at 130th with 14.0 assists per game.
Utah State ranks 221st in offensive rebounds, while New Mexico ranks 60th in defensive rebounds.
Utah State averages a forced turnover rate of 17.8% this season. New Mexico has a 9-6 record when it suffers a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
