The Air Force Falcons (12-9, 3-5 MWC) and New Mexico Lobos (18-3, 5-3) tussle in a Mountain West Conference battle Friday. Tip-off at The Pit is slated for 10 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Air Force vs. New Mexico odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Air Force has lost back-to-back games straight up and against the spread (ATS). The Falcons are coming off an 82-52 loss at San Jose State Tuesday, failing to cover as 4-point underdogs. The loss broke a string of 5 straight ATS wins on the road.
New Mexico won 4 straight games from Jan. 9-20, but suffered a 97-94 overtime loss last time out at Nevada Monday as a 3.5-point underdog. The Lobos rank 14th in the nation in scoring (82.5 points per game) and have tallied 76 or more points in 10 of their last 11 games.
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Air Force at New Mexico odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 3 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Air Force +525 (bet $100 to win $525) | New Mexico -850 (bet $850 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Air Force +12.5 (-110) | New Mexico -12.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 142.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Air Force at New Mexico picks and predictions
Prediction
New Mexico 74, Air Force 63
Moneyline
Air Force launches a slew of triples, and a good night gets them in maybe 3-score territory. PASS on the outright offering.
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Against the spread
The Falcons are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. foes with a winning mark at home and the road team is 6-1 ATS across the last 7 meetings in this series.
Air Force will cover if it plays New Mexico the way it played the San Diego State Aztecs on Jan. 21 (70-60). If the Falcons go 4 of 22 from beyond the arc as they did in their last game, they will have a hard time staying within 15 points.
This is a big number for New Mexico to cover in a game that has some Under pull to it. TAKE THE FALCONS +12.5 (-110).
Over/Under
New Mexico’s pace has slowed a touch over recent games, so don’t figure on a lot of push from 2nd-chance buckets and free throws. The Lobos rely a lot on mid-range and long-range 2s, and there is some expected regression in the their offense.
BACK THE UNDER 142.5 (-110).
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