The San Diego State Aztecs will host the No.19 New Mexico Lobos when they open Mountain West conference play on Tuesday night at Viejas Arena in San Diego, Ca.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2009 – COLLEGE BASKETBALL FREE PICK
#19 New Mexico Lobos (14-1) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (11-3)
The last time these two teams met the Aztecs crushed the Lobos 75-49 on Feb 21, 2009.
This time it may be different as No.15 New Mexico has lost just a single game coming into Tuesday’s contest. The Lobos’ Roman Martinez broke out of his shooting slump and helped lift his team to a 68-66 win over the Dayton Flyers on New Years Day. Martinez knocked down successive 3-pointers in the Lobos come from behind victory and finished with the contest with 17 points. Dairese Gary scored 18 points with the final seven coming from the charity stripe in the closing minutes. The win extends New Mexico’s home winning streak to 19 games with their last home loss coming against Texas-El Paso on Jan. 6, 2009.
The Aztecs’ Kawhi Leonard had game highs of 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead San Diego State to a win over Pomona-Pitzer 89-54 on Thursday. The Aztecs have won eight of their last nine and 41 of their last 46, including 12 straight home games. SDSU enters Mountain West Conference play with a perfect 7-0 home record. Defense and rebounding have been key strengths for the Aztecs who lead the Mountain West in scoring defense, surrendering just 59.6 points per game.
The odds makers have the Lobos as +2-point underdogs in this one.
The upcoming game against San Diego will be a good test as the Lobos’ lone defeat came against Oral Roberts on the road Dec.15. New Mexico isn’t known for being a strong road team in Mountain West Conference play, and this could be a pivotal contest that sets the expectations for the rest of the season.
Expect the Aztecs to beat the Lobos with home court advantage.
If you liked this Sports Betting article, you may also be interested in:
About Matt Martz
