Check out our free Air Force vs New Mexico pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Albuquerque. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

Air Force vs New Mexico Pick & Preview: Friday, January 27th Betting Odds

Falcons vs Lobos Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: Air Force Falcons at New Mexico Lobos
  • Where: Albuquerque at The Pit
  • Date: Friday, January 27th
  • Betting Odds: Air Force +12.5, AIRF +578 | NMX -921 O/U 142.0

Falcons Preview:

Coming into today’s matchup, the Air Force Falcons are in the middle of a 2 game losing streak and have an overall record of 12-9. So far, the Falcons have played 7 games on the road, with a record of 3-4. For the season, Air Force has been the underdog in 12 games, sitting with a mark of 4-8. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Falcons being +12.5 point underdogs.

Air Force will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Jake Heidbreder who is averaging 14.38 points per game for the Falcons. Heidbreder is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Falcons’ offensive game plan is the play of Rytis Petraitis who has hit 50.4% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 9.43 points per game.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for Air Force this season, as they are currently ranked 466th in college basketball at 59.0 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Falcons’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 33.3%, placing them 291st in the NCAA.

Lobos Preview:

New Mexico heads into this matchup having played 21 games and have an overall record sitting at 18-3. Currently, the Lobos have been the home team 14 times, sitting with a record of 13-1. The Lobos’ are sitting with a betting line that is -12.5 points in their favor. For the season, New Mexico has been favored to win in 16 games, sitting with a mark of 14-2.

New Mexico’s leading scorer this season is Jamal Mashburn JR, who is averaging 19.29 points per contest. So far, JR has accounted for 23.38% of the team’s scoring. In addition, he is contributing 3.38 rebounds per game and 1.67 assists. Jaelen House is the second leading scorer for the Lobos, averaging 17.33 points per game. Between him and House, they are accounting for 44.4% of the team’s scoring.

On offense, New Mexico is scoring a rate similar to the NCAA average at 74.2 points per game. This figure has come despite struggling to knock down shots from outside. Through 21 games, they have only hit 34.4% of their 3-point field goal attempts. For the season, 37.7% of their shots have come from beyond the arc.

Free Spread Prediction: Air Force Falcons +12.5

Based on our analysis of this matchup, we believe that New Mexico’s fast-paced style of play will give them an advantage against a Air Force team that prefers to slow the game down. Despite the large point spread (-12.5), expect Lobos’ to benefit from an increased number of possessions as they work towards an easy victory. We recommend betting on New Mexico to not only win but also cover the spread against Air Force.