NCAA Tournament: Connecticut vs New Mexico State 3/17/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The UConn Huskies and New Mexico State Aggies square off Thursday in the college basketball NCAA Tournament First Round at the KeyBank Center. The New Mexico State Aggies look for a win after winning six of their last eight games. The UConn Huskies look for a win after winning eight of their last 11 games.

The New Mexico State Aggies are averaging 71.1 points on 45.9 percent shooting and allowing 63.2 points on 39.2 percent shooting. Teddy Allen is averaging 19.3 points and 6.8 rebounds, while Sir’Jabari Rice is averaging 12.2 points and 3.2 assists. Johnny McCants is dishing 2.3 assists and Donnie Tillman is grabbing 3.4 rebounds. The New Mexico State Aggies are shooting 32.6 percent from beyond the arc and 69.1 percent from the free throw line. The New Mexico State Aggies are allowing 30.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 34.8 rebounds per game.

The UConn Huskies are averaging 76.1 points on 44 percent shooting and allowing 65.7 points on 40.2 percent shooting. RJ Cole is averaging 15.7 points and 3.5 rebounds, while Adama Sanogo is averaging 14.9 points and 0.9 assists. Tyrese Martin is the third double-digit scorer and Isiah Whaley is dishing 1.1 assists. The UConn Huskies are shooting 35.4 percent from beyond the arc and 75 percent from the free throw line. The UConn Huskies are allowing 34.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 37.4 rebounds per game.

The Aggies are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as an underdog and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Huskies are 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a favorite and 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The over is 7-1 in Aggies last 8 neutral site games. The under is 4-0 in Huskies last 4 overall.

The New Mexico State Aggies are a respectable team from the WAC, and they get after it defensively to where you’d think they could hang around. However, I question the lack of competition this season for New Mexico State, and UCONN is an athletic team that the Aggies aren’t used to facing. This is also pretty much a home game for the Huskies, with it taking place in New York. The Connecticut Huskies should be able to push the pace in this contest and edge out a win and cover in the second half.