Who’s Playing
New Mexico Lobos @ Santa Clara Broncos
Current Records: New Mexico 8-1, Santa Clara 7-2
How To Watch
What to Know
New Mexico has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will face off against the Santa Clara Broncos at 5:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Dollar Loan Center. New Mexico will be strutting in after a win while Santa Clara will be stumbling in from a defeat.
New Mexico has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won five contests by 19 points or more this season. Everything went their way against the Gauchos on Wednesday as the Lobos made off with a 84-61 victory. Winning is a bit easier when your shooting is a whole 15.3% better than the opposition, as New Mexico’s was.
New Mexico got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Donovan Dent out in front who scored 23 points along with 8 assists. JT Toppin was another key contributor, scoring 18 points along with 3 blocks.
Meanwhile, the point spread may have favored Santa Clara last Saturday, but the final result did not. They took a 84-69 bruising from the Golden Bears.
Despite the defeat, Santa Clara got a solid performance out of Adama Bal, who scored 22 points along with 7 rebounds.
The Lobos pushed their record up to 8-1 with that win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 87.6 points per game. As for the Broncos, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-2.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: New Mexico have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 41.1 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like Santa Clara struggles in that department as they’ve been even better at 41.3 per game. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out. Come back here after the game to find expert analysis of the match and other NCAA Basketball content.