NCAA Men?s Basketball Betting Previews New Mexico Lobos vs. No.3 Brigham Young Cougars Pointspread: BYU -12 Over/Under: 149 The New Mexico Lobos will try and play the role of spoiler when they take on the BYU Cougars tonight at the Marriott Center in Provo. Tip-off is set for 10 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast regionally.
New Mexico snapped a recent four-game losing streak with an 80-70 victory over TCU as a 7 ½-point road favorite this past Saturday. The win pushed the Lobos to 18-11 straight-up on the year and 12-13-1 against the spread. They are currently tied with Utah for fifth-place in the Mountain West with a 6-8 SU conference record.
Dairese Gary leads four New Mexico players scoring in double-figures with 14.5 points and is averaging a team-high 5.5 assists a game. Drew Gordon leads the team with 10.3 rebounds a game and is the second leading scorer with 12.5 points. The Lobos are shooting 46.5 percent from the field and scoring an average of 74 points a game.
BYU is riding-high after its second dominating victory of the season over conference rival No.9 San Diego State. The Cougars beat the Aztecs 71-58 on Jan.26 as a 5 ½-point home favorite and then completed the sweep on the road this past Saturday with an 80-67 win as a 4 ½-point underdog. BYU is currently 27-2 SU overall (12-13 ATS) and 13-1 SU in the Mountain West.
The primary reason for the Cougars? success this season has been the stellar play of Jimmer Fredette. He leads the nation in scoring with 27.3 points a game while leading the team in assists with 4.3. One interesting development to keep an eye on for this game is the recent suspension of Brandon Davies, who is averaging 11.1 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds a game.
The loss of Davies should not affect BYU in this game as it puts the finishing touches on a spectacular regular season. Stick with the Cougars to win and cover the 12 points at homeas they avenge an earlier 86-77 loss to the Lobos in a game they were favored by 2 1/2-points on the road.
