The No. 11 seed New Mexico Lobos (26-9) face off against the 6th-seeded Clemson Tigers (21-11) Friday in a 1st-round game in the NCAA Tournament. Tip from FedExForum in Memphis is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. ET (truTV). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook's lines around the'New Mexico vs. Clemson odds, and make our expert'college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
New Mexico went on an improbable 4-game run through the Mountain West Conference Tournament, capped by a 68-61 title-game victory as a 2-point underdog over the No. 25 San Diego State Aztecs with the Under (144) cashing. The Lobos are led in scoring by senior G Jaelen House’s 16.1 points per game, but they also have F JT Toppin, who surprised everyone on his way to being named MWC Co-Freshman of the Year. He nearly averaged a double-double this season at 12.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. New Mexico is 23-11 against the spread (ATS) for the season, including 4-0 ATS in MWC Tourney.
The Tigers suffered a disappointing 2nd-round exit from the ACC Tournament, losing to the Boston College Eagles 76-55. They lost as 7.5-point favorites and the Under (145.5) cashed. Despite the early exit in the ACC Tourney, this team has an impressive resume of 6 victories over NCAA Tournament teams. Clemson is 17-14-1 ATS, including 3-3-1 ATS in their last 7 regular-season games.
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