The Mountain West Basketball Conference Tournament Semifinals have arrived! With the stakes at an all-time high, the Colorado State Rams will clash with the New Mexico Lobos as a spot to the conference tournament finals will be on the line! Join us for our College Basketball odds series where our Colorado State-New Mexico prediction and pick will be revealed.

Last time out on the hardwood a night ago, it was the Rams that put together possibly one of their more complete performances of the season in a decisive 85-78 win over the Nevada Wolf Pack. With the much-needed victory, CSU has officially all but locked up a spot among the Field of 64 with a little over a week to go until Selection Sunday. As it stands, the Rams are 24-9 and will look to improve upon their seeding with a stellar outing against New Mexico.

Meanwhile, New Mexico entered the Mountain West Tournament sitting on the bubble and needing to make some noise in Sin City. A couple days into the festivities, and the Lobos have done exactly that. Overall, New Mexico managed to obliterate Air Force by a score of 82-56 on Wednesday before turning their focus to defeating the Boise State Broncos 76-56 on Thursday evening.

Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Basketball Odds: Colorado State-New Mexico Odds

Colorado State: +2.5 (-110)

Moneyline: +114

New Mexico: -2.5 (-110)

Moneyline: -137

Over: 152.5 (-110)

Under: 152.5 (-110)

How to Watch Colorado State vs. New Mexico 

Time: 12:00 ET/9:00 PT

TV: CBS Sports Network

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Colorado State Will Cover The Spread/Win

It is hard to imagine that Colorado State came into this conference week as the seventh seed in the Mountain West. However, do not be fooled. Not only is the Mountain West considered to be one of the top conferences in all of college basketball this season, but there is no debate against the fact that the Rammies aren't your typical seven-seed.

For starters, the biggest takeaway that stands out for this squad is the fact that they boast a plethora of experience that ultimately gives them a major helping hand when facing adversity. Of course, it all falls on the shoulders of floor general Isaiah Stevens who is arguably one of if not the greatest CSU basketball player to put on a jersey. Not only is Stevens the school's all-time assists leader in program history, but there has also never been another Ram who has scored as many points throughout his career as the senior from Allen, Texas. If this game comes down to the wire, it may be Colorado State that holds an advantage over New Mexico due to Stevens' brilliance on the hardwood.

Above all else, it will be vital for the Rams to slow things down and play at their snail-like pace. On paper, CSU ranks 267th in tempo while New Mexico loves to push the tempo with the fifth-highest rate in that category. As long as the Rams don't turn the ball over thus leading to Lobos points off turnovers, then they should be able to be in striking distance to punch their ticket to the championship on Saturday.

Why New Mexico Will Cover The Spread/Win

With their backs up against the wall, New Mexico has done nothing but deliver in the biggest of moments. Then again, the Lobos have had no choice with many “college basketball experts” putting them on the wrong side of the bubble in regards to the NCAA Tournament.

Nevertheless, any talk about New Mexico missing out on the Big Dance should be a foregone conclusion with the team's main focus to be the last Mountain West team standing by the time the weekend is up in Las Vegas. In order for the Lobos' wildest dreams to come true en route to their first conference championship since 2014, it will be a requirement for New Mexico to attack Colorado State with a whole lot of Jaelen House.

At first glance, House is the team's leading scorer with 15.5 points per game, but he also is fresh off of a red-hot shooting night versus Boise State in which he put up a whopping 29 points in the win. All together, the senior guard from Phoenix has scored at least 15 points in three straight outings and will be tasked in finding ways to slow down his counterpart in Isaiah Stevens on the defensive end of the floor as well.

In addition, the Lobo's best shot at handling their business may occur due to some streaky shooting from the three-point line. Indeed, New Mexico possesses three guards who are all averaging at least 14.5 points per game and can also shoot it unconsciously from trey-land. Most of the time, the Lobos don't inflict most of their damage from inside the paint, so be on the lookout for them to work outside in with an emphasis on splashing some threes from beyond the arc.

 Final Colorado State-New Mexico Prediction & Pick

Buckle up, Mountain West fans! This is where the fun begins! In a backdrop where the desert meets a dazzling wonderland, put some money on the Lobos and their hectic style of play to simply overwhelm the Rams in the closing moments of the ballgame.

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Final Colorado State-New Mexico Prediction & Pick: New Mexico -2.5 (-110)