New Mexico vs South Alabama 11/11/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The South Alabama Jaguars and the New Mexico Lobos meet Friday in college basketball action from the Pit. South Alabama is 1-0 so far following a season opener win versus Mobile. As for New Mexico, they’re fresh off a victory versus Southern Utah in their opener. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.

South Alabama managed to go a solid 21-12 overall last year with a 9-7 record in Sun Belt Conference play. The Jaguars landed in fifth place in the conference standings with that effort, and eventually made it to the semifinals of the Basketball Classic. 

In their first matchup of the year versus Mobile back on Wednesday, the Jaguars didn’t have a ton of trouble. South Alabama scored 47 points in the first half and 50 more in the second in a 97-59 blowout win. Jamar Franklin led the scoring on 18 points and two assists. 

Over on the New Mexico side, they went 13-19 overall last season with a 5-12 run in the Mountain West Conference. The Lobos finished ahead of only Air Force and San Jose State. In the conference tournament, New Mexico lost to Nevada in their opening game. 

New Mexico got off to a good start this year with a matchup versus Southern Utah on Monday. The Lobos scored 50 points in the second half to finish strong in an 89-81 win. Jamal Mashburn Jr. scored 24 points, and Jaelen House added 23 points. 

PICK: I’m likely going to lean New Mexico. Probably not going near this one, though. The Lobos posted a pretty solid win over Southern Utah in their opener, shooting a nice 48.3 percent from the field with 17 team assists. New Mexico was out-muscled on the boards 40-38 however, and shot a sketchy 66.7 percent from the line. As for South Alabama, they’ll get a tougher challenge here after a pretty easy opener matchup. If New Mexico can control the boards better here however, I don’t think the Jaguars will keep pace.