Two of the top men’s basketball teams in the Mountain West will square off Saturday when San Diego State takes on New Mexico at The Pit in Albuquerque.
New Mexico (13-3 overall) is one of two Mountain West teams that has opened conference play 5-0, the other being No. 25 Utah State, which is off to a 15-1 start this season.
San Diego State (10-3) is 3-1 in Mountain West play. The Aztecs’ only conference loss was a 67-66 home loss to Utah State, but they responded with back-to-back wins, including a 76-68 victory at Boise State.
The Aztecs’ hot streak could come to an end on Saturday, though.
The Lobos have the Mountain West’s best offense, averaging 85.4 points a night. New Mexico is on a six-game winning streak, which dates back to a 122-70 rout of Western Michigan and includes a 103-89 win over Fresno State. The Lobos’ offense is led by the conference’s top scorer in point guard Donovan Dent, who is averaging 19.3 points a game.
New Mexico also simply doesn’t lose very often at The Pit, which seats more than 15,000 fans. The Lobos are 8-1 at home this season. They went 13-3 at The Pit last season.
New Customer Offers at BetMGM
Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l Terms
San Diego State at New Mexico Betting Odds
New Mexico is a 3.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite against San Diego State, and the Over/Under is 146.5 points.
The Moneyline for New Mexico is at -175 and +145 for San Diego State.
San Diego State at New Mexico On TV
The Mountain West game featuring San Diego State and New Mexico will be televised on CBS.
Tonight’s tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
San Diego State at New Mexico Prediction
I predict New Mexico wins, 85-70, stretching its winning streak to seven straight. San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher’s team is always going to be sound defensively, but the Lobos just have too much firepower this year.
Dent is one of the fastest players in the Mountain West, and he was the conference’s top-scoring point guard last season. He’s even more dangerous this year. The junior is shooting almost 50% from the floor and 77% from the free-throw line, and he leads the conference with 111 assists.
There aren’t many players in the Mountain West that can run with Dent, and he has plenty of help in the paint this year.
Six-foot-9 redshirt senior Mustapha Amzil has emerged as a starter after coming off the bench last year. He’s No. 2 on the team with 13.7 points and 5.8 rebounds a night. Six-foot-10 redshirt senior Nelly Junior Joseph is pouring in 13.1 points a game. He leads the Mountain West with 162 rebounds and ranks No. 2 in the conference with 10.1 a game.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
