Once Upon A Time In Las Vegas – Championship Sunday
Air Force Falcons (12-9) vs. New Mexico Lobos (18-3)
The 2022-23 college hoops betting action continues Friday, January 27, with the Air Force Falcons taking on the New Mexico Lobos in the Mountain West Conference showdown at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The Falcons meet the Lobos for the first time this season, and New Mexico aims for its third straight victory over Air Force. The Lobos open as 12-point home favorites with a total of 142.5 points, so let’s take a closer look.
After earning three straight victories over Colorado State 85-74 in overtime, Fresno State 51-48, and Wyoming 82-74, the Air Force Falcons (12-9; 13-8 ATS; 3-5 conf.) have dropped two games in a row. Last Saturday, the Falcons suffered a 70-60 defeat as 9.5-point road dogs at San Diego State. Three days later, they were trounced by San Jose State, 82-52.
The Falcons were listed as 3.5-point road underdogs this past Tuesday. They shot just 38.8% from the field (4-for-22 from deep) while posting a 9/7 assist-to-turnover ratio. The Falcons couldn’t contain the Spartans in the paint. SJSU had 12 offensive rebounds and made 57.6% of its field goals (5-for-14 from deep).
Starting five vs. San Jose State. pic.twitter.com/R75QjFQISj
— Air Force Men's Basketball (@AF_MBB) January 25, 2023
Air Force is No. 151 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 160 in the KenPom rankings. The Falcons score 104.3 points per 100 possessions (169th in the nation) on 55.4% shooting from inside the arc (37th) and 35.5% from downtown (103rd). They surrender 103.9 points in return (177th) on 49.5% shooting from inside the arc (192nd) and 28.4% from downtown (11th).
Sophomore guard Jake Heidbrede r (14.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG) is a lone Falcon with points per game north of 10.0. Freshman guard Rytis Petraitis is tallying 9.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per contest, while sophomore guard Ethan Taylor is adding 8.4 points, 3.6 boards, and 3.5 dimes a night.