New Mexico vs Utah State 1/8/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Utah State Aggies will travel to The Pit to take on the New Mexico Lobos this Saturday night in College Basketball action.

The Utah State Aggies dropped to 9-5 on the season after being defeated by the Air Force Falcons, 49-47, on December 29^th. Utah State had no answers on the offensive end against Air Force and could not fight all the way back after the Falcons took a 41-33 lead with 8:40 left in regulation. Utah State shot 32.7% from the field & 5.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Air Force to shoot 36.0% from the field & 29.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Aggies was Justin Bean who had a double-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds, & 1 assist.

On the season, Utah State is averaging 77.2 ppg on 48.2% shooting from the field. The Aggies are averaging 9.2 three-pointers per game on 37.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Utah State has been led by Justin Bean (19.8 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.7 spg), Brandon Horvath (13.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.6 apg), Brock Miller (8.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.3 apg), & Rylan Jones (7.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.6 apg, 1.8 spg).

Defensively, Utah State is holding their opponents to an average of 68.1 ppg on 41.0% shooting from the field. The Aggies have a rebound margin of 4.4 and a turnover margin of -0.5.

The New Mexico Lobos dropped to 7-7 on the season after being defeated by the Nevada Wolf Pack, 79-70, this past Saturday night. New Mexico led by a 36-35 margin at halftime, however, the Lobos struggled defensively in the 2^nd half and could not fight back after the Wolf Pack took a 63-48 lead with 7:09 left in regulation. New Mexico shot 35.9% from the field & 34.6% from beyond the arc while allowing Nevada to shoot 42.6% from the field & 26.1% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Lobos was Jaelen House who had 18 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists, & 3 steals.

On the season, New Mexico is averaging 78.9 ppg on 42.9% shooting from the field. The Lobos are averaging 7.6 three-pointers per game on 33.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, New Mexico has been led by Jamal Mashburn Jr. (18.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.0 apg), Jaelen House (16.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.5 apg, 2.2 spg), Gethro Muscadin (9.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.6 bpg), & Javonte Johnson (8.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg).

Defensively, New Mexico is allowing their opponents to average 77.1 ppg on 44.2% shooting from the field. The Lobos have a rebound margin of -3.7 and a turnover margin of 2.6.

The Aggies are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 road games, however, are 3-2 ATS in their last 5 games. The Lobos are 10-4-1 ATS in their last 15 games overall & 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.

Utah State has been led by their offense which ranks 69^th in scoring offense, 29^th in FG%, & t-54^th in three-pointers made per game and have been above average on the defensive end, ranking t-103^rd in defensive FG%. New Mexico is led by their offense which ranks 44^th in scoring offense, however, the defense has really struggled and comes into this game ranked just 323^rd in scoring defense & 258^th in defensive FG%.

Utah State struggled on the road at Air Force, however, New Mexico is just not a great defensive team and as the Lobos recently lost to both UTEP & SMUT by 8+ points, I think Utah State will do enough in this one to cover this mid-range spread. Good Luck!