Colorado State Rams (8-5) vs. New Mexico Lobos (12-0)
The 2022-23 NCAA men’s basketball season continues Wednesday, December 28, with the Colorado State Rams taking on the New Mexico Lobos in the Mountain West Conference showdown at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The tip-off is set for 9:00 PM ET. Colorado State aims for its fifth consecutive victory over New Mexico, but the Rams open as 7-point road underdogs. The totals are listed at 150.5 points.
The Colorado State Rams (8-5; 5-7 ATS) are coming off a 73-64 defeat against the USC Trojans this past Wednesday. After surprising the odds as 11.5-point road underdogs in a 62-60 win at the Saint Mary’s Gaels, the Rams failed to cover a 3-point spread at the neutral site in Phoenix, Arizona. They trailed the Trojans by ten or more points for most of the game, finishing with a poor 37.7% shooting from the field and 18.5% from beyond the 3-point line (5-for-27).
Junior forward Patrick Cartier dropped 22 points on USC, going 8-for-10 from the field and 5-for-5 from the charity stripe. Senior guard Isaiah Stevens amassed 15 points, nine assists, and four steals, while junior guard Isaiah Rivera had 12 points and five rebounds.
We're back tomorrow! ????#Stalwart x #TeamTogether pic.twitter.com/yOCj5c5afT
— Colorado State Men's Basketball (@CSUMBasketball) December 27, 2022
Colorado State is No. 84 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 92 in the KenPom rankings. The Rams score 108.3 points per 100 possessions, enough for the 57th-most in the country. They shoot 58.6% from inside the arc (12th in the country) and 37.8% from downtown (51st). However, the Rams have struggled to defend so far this season. They are 136th in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency (100.8 points per 100 possessions), 202nd in opposing 2-point percentage (49.1%), and 288th in opposi ng 3-point percentage.