The Colorado State Rams take on the New Mexico Lobos. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Colorado State New Mexico prediction and pick. Find how to watch Colorado State New Mexico.

The New Mexico Lobos have taken some pressure off their backs. They had lost at home to UNLV a few weeks ago, getting swept by the Rebels and losing in consecutive seasons to Vegas, despite the fact that UNLV has been one of the Mountain West’s most disappointing teams on a continuous basis. After the loss to UNLV, there was reason to think New Mexico was on the verge of repeating the February implosion last year which caused the Lobos to miss the NCAA Tournament in spite of being the last Division I team to lose within that same season. New Mexico was doing great through late January of 2023 but absolutely fell apart in February to miss the NCAAs.

Was this pattern — this downward spiral — about to happen again? People in Albuquerque and around the country were asking it and thinking it. New Mexico needed to drive out the demons and re-establish itself as a clear-cut NCAA Tournament team.

Then came the moment which might be looked back on as the time New Mexico buried its ghosts and its past.

The Lobos, trailing 80-77 in overtime at Nevada, were in trouble. Jamal Mashburn Jr. decided to do something about it. Jamal Mashburn’s father played for Rick Pitino at Kentucky in the early 1990s and resurrected Kentucky basketball. Mashburn Jr. is playing for Rick’s son Richard at New Mexico. He might have resurrected Lobo basketball by hitting two 3-pointers to lift New Mexico to a win at Nevada. That result took New Mexico off the middle of the bubble and put the Lobos inside the cut line for the NCAA Tournament. New Mexico isn’t quite a lock — more work is left to do — but the Lobos are now very likely to get in and have a much less daunting path to the field of 68. A win here over Colorado State would come close to sealing a bid for the Lobos, who have shown a lot of resilience all year.

Here are the Colorado State-New Mexico College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: Colorado State-New Mexico Odds

Colorado State Rams: +5.5 (-106)

New Mexico Lobos: -5.5 (-114)

Over: 155.5 (-105)

Under: 155.5 (-115)

How To Watch Colorado State vs New Mexico

Time: 10:00 pm ET / 7:00 pm PT

TV: CBS Sports Network

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Colorado State Could Cover the Spread

The Rams have won four of their last five games. They just drilled Mountain West leader Utah State by 20 points. Isaiah Stevens is an elite guard, arguably the best guard in the Mountain West Conference. CSU has found a groove and has already beaten New Mexico this season, prevailing by eight points at home in early January. If CSU can beat New Mexico by eight at home, it can cover a 5.5-point spread on the road. It would be hard to think New Mexico is 14 points better at home compared to the road in a head-to-head matchup with Colorado State.

Why New Mexico Could Cover the Spread

The Lobos have been strong at home this season. They have lost only twice, and one of those games involved Boise State’s Max Rice having a career game with insane shooting statistics. UNM, if it loses here, would drop back-to-back home games. That very rarely happens, especially when the Lobos are good. They should be able to play their best ball. They will also be motivated by revenge for their loss at Colorado State earlier in the season.

Final Colorado State-New Mexico Prediction & Pick

New Mexico should not be this big a favorite — the number should probably be 3.5 instead of 5.5 — but just the same, stay away here. It’s not an easy game to read.

Final Colorado State-New Mexico Prediction & Pick: Colorado State +5.5