New Mexico vs. Arizona Pick
Will No. 18 Arizona cruise to a home win tonight when it plays host to New Mexico at 9PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Arizona is the clear favorite in this game, as the Wildcats are getting odds of -13 points against the Lobos. The over/under total for the game has yet to be set. New Mexico has actually won the last two meetings with Arizona but these two teams haven’t played since 1999.
Arizona is now 10-2 on the season and a perfect 6-0 at home this season. Their last game saw them beat Texas A&M on a neutral floor, 67-63. The Wildcats are 6-6 against the spread this year, but have covered in three of their last four games. Arizona is playing some solid defense this year, allowing just 62.1 points per game while scoring 73.3 points per contest. Parker Jackson-Cartwright continues to be off the floor for Arizona due to an ankle injury that will keep him out until February. He was averaging 8 points and 5.3 assists per game before getting injured. Laure Markkanen is the production leader right now with 16.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
New Mexico is coming off an 83-43 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff this weekend to move to 7-4 on the year and 3-5 against the spread. The Lobos have failed to cover in their last two lined games. While New Mexico is averaging 77.5 points per game on offense, they are also giving up 71.9 points per contest. New Mexico will have some depth issues as Damien Jefferson is questionable with an ankle injury. He is a slight contributor off the bench. Tim Williams is the team leader with 18.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game while Elijah Brown is adding 16 points per game.
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Arizona is in a good place right now. The Wildcats have looked really solid since a loss to Gonzaga and have been winning with effort. Sean Miller isn’t going to let his team coast on talent, which they have much more of than New Mexico. The Wildcats can focus on Williams and Brown, who do the bulk of the scoring for the Lobos. With those two held in check, Arizona can cruise to a win at home.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: ARIZONA -13