Who’s Playing

Air Force Falcons @ New Mexico Lobos

Current Records: Air Force 8-17, New Mexico 21-6

How To Watch

• When: Saturday, February 24, 2024 at 4 p.m. ET
• Where: The Pit — Albuquerque, New Mexico
• TV: CBS Sports Network
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Watch on Connected TV: CBS Sports App on Roku and Fire TV
• Live Stream: CBSSports.com or fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Ticket Cost: $38.70

What to Know

If the oddsmakers’ predictions hold true, the near future looks bright for New Mexico. They and the Air Force Falcons will face off in a Mountain West battle at 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at The Pit. Air Force took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on New Mexico, who comes in off a win.

Last Wednesday, New Mexico’s game was all tied up 30-30 at the half, but luckily for them it didn’t stay that way. They had just enough and edged the Rams out 68-66.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead New Mexico to victory, but perhaps none more so than Nelly Junior Joseph, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 12 rebounds. Junior Joseph didn’t help New Mexico’s cause all that much against the Aztecs last Friday but the same can’t be said for this match. The team also got some help courtesy of Jamal Mashburn Jr., who scored 16 points along with six rebounds and three steals.

Meanwhile, Air Force’s recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their seventh straight defeat. There’s no need to mince words: the Falcons lost to the Rebels, and the Falcons lost bad. The score wound up at 72-43. The result shouldn’t come as a shock considering that’s the fewest points Air Force has scored all season.

The Lobos’ victory bumped their record up to 21-6. As for the Falcons, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost 15 of their last 16 matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-17 record this season.

Saturday’s contest is shaping up to be a scrappy game: New Mexico have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 38.9 rebounds per game. It’s a different story for Air Force, though, as they’ve been averaging only 29.1 rebounds per game. Given New Mexico’s sizable advantage in that area, the Falcons will need to find a way to close that gap.

New Mexico took their win against the Falcons in their previous meeting back in January by a conclusive 85-66. With New Mexico ahead 44-24 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.

Odds

New Mexico is a big 18.5-point favorite against Air Force, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Lobos as a 19-point favorite.

The over/under is 146.5 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

New Mexico has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Air Force.

• Jan 20, 2024 – New Mexico 85 vs. Air Force 66
• Feb 10, 2023 – Air Force 89 vs. New Mexico 77
• Jan 27, 2023 – New Mexico 81 vs. Air Force 73
• Feb 26, 2022 – New Mexico 69 vs. Air Force 65
• Feb 05, 2022 – New Mexico 91 vs. Air Force 77
• Feb 24, 2021 – Air Force 62 vs. New Mexico 55
• Feb 22, 2021 – New Mexico 73 vs. Air Force 65
• Feb 26, 2020 – Air Force 60 vs. New Mexico 58
• Jan 11, 2020 – New Mexico 84 vs. Air Force 78
• Jan 02, 2019 – New Mexico 65 vs. Air Force 58