Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Wildcard Edition
San Jose State Spartans (12-6) vs. New Mexico Lobos (16-2)
The 2022-23 college basketball season continues Tuesday, January 17, with the San Jose State Spartans facing off against the New Mexico Lobos in the Mountain West Conference battle at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The Spartans open as 10-point road underdogs. The totals are listed at 143.5 points, so let’s take a closer look.
The San Jose State Spartans (12-6 SU; 12-5 ATS) improved to 3-2 in conference play following a 74-64 home victory over the Fresno State Bulldogs on January 10. After a couple of losses at Boise State 67-64 and to Nevada 67-40, the Spartans bounced back in style, covering a 3-point spread at home with ease.
SJSU dominated Fresno State for all 40 minutes. The Spartans led by as many as 16 points and never looked like losing. They shot 54.4% from the field (12-for-29 from deep) against one of the best defensive units in the MWC while posting a nice 21/12 assist-to-turnover ratio. Sophomore guard Alvaro Cardenas led the way with a career-high 20 points and nine assists, while junior guard Omari Moore had 15 points and eight dishes. This duo tallies 25.0 points and 8.1 dimes a night in 2022-23.
One more time! All the good things from tonight's win!#AllSpartans | #RunToTheFight pic.twitter.com/EcofhEAyrh
— San Jose State Men's Basketball (@SanJoseStateMBB) January 11, 2023
The Spartans are No. 121 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 134 in the KenPom rankings. They score 107.2 points per 100 possessions (107th in the country) and allow 103.9 points in return (184th). The Spartans’ defense ranks 43rd in field goal percentage (40.2%) but surrenders 7.4 triples per game (209th) on a 34.8 percentage clip (265th). Another big issue for the Spartans is their free-throw shooting (65.2%, 325th in the nation).