The New Mexico Lobos take on the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the Men's March Madness tournament. Below we will continue our college basketball odds series with a New Mexico-Clemson prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
New Mexico is 26-9 heading into this game, and they are coming off a Mountain West Tournament Championship. The Lobos are led by Jaelen House scoring 16.1 points per game. Jamal Mashburn is right behind him with 14.4 points per game. Two other players on the team average in the double digits. This helps New Mexico score 81.5 points per game on the season.
Clemson heads into this game 21-11, and they earned a six seed. However, they have been a little bit cold heading into the tournament. The Tigers started the season 11-1, but hit a cold streak and lost their first game of the ACC Tournament. PJ Hall scored 18.8 points per game to lead the team while Joseph Girard is right behind him with 15.7. As a team, Clemson scores 77.4 points per game this season.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
March Madness Odds: New Mexico-Clemson Odds
New Mexico: -2.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -134
Clemson: +2.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +112
Over: 151.5 (-110)
Under: 151.5 (-110)
How to Watch March Madness
Time: 3:10 PM ET/12:10 PM PT
TV: TruTV
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why New Mexico Will Cover The Spread/Win
New Mexico comes into this game favored as the lower seed, which is a bit of a surprise. However, they deserve it. New Mexico scores the 22nd-most points in the nation. This is because they play at a very fast pace. New Mexico takes the second-most field goals per game. The Lobos have to continue their upbeat tempo, and they need to make their shots. As long as their offense keeps performing, they will cover the spread.
New Mexico also plays some aggressive defense. They are one of the top teams in the nation with 8.8 steals per game. Forcing these turnovers is almost more important than scoring. The Lobos have to make it very tough on the Tigers in this game, and doing that will help them win this game and pull off the “upset”.
Why Clemson Will Cover The Spread/Win
Clemson's recent struggles have caused them to be the underdogs in this game. In fact, some people might believe Clemson is ranked a little too high. However, Clemson is fourth in the ACC in scoring, third in the ACC in field goal percentage, third in threes made per game, and third in free throw percentage. Clemson needs to make their shots in this game if they want to win.
Clemson needs to play aggressively on the defensive end of the court. They do not get very active on defense, but aggressive and physical play will help them cover the spread. New Mexico shoots just 71.5 percent from the free-throw line, so Clemson needs to play physically. If the Tigers do that, New Mexico will surely miss their free throws, which would help Clemson cover.
Final New Mexico-Clemson Prediction & Pick
This is going to be a good game. Every part of me wants to bet on the Lobos to win this game. However, seeing Clemson be plus money makes it very tempting to bet on them. Because of that, I am going to take the Clemson moneyline.
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Final New Mexico-Clemson Prediction & Pick: Clemson ML (+112)
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