NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Thousands of people will be making their annual pilgrimage to El Santuario de Chimayo in northern New Mexico and Tomé Hill near Los Lunas Friday morning. The walks are in honor of Good Friday, with many people walking dozens of miles to complete their journey.

Each year many make the trek to the northern New Mexico church or Tomé Hill on Good Friday. Some start their journey in Santa Fe, others walk from as far as Albuquerque. The church in northern New Mexico has been a place of worship since the early 1800’s, bringing thousands from across the state for the chapel, shrine and grounds healing powers. The church is considered to be a sacred site and many believe it holds healing properties. Walkers also take the pilgrimage to Tomé Hill. At the top of the hill are three crosses and a shrine where people pray after making the journey.

Officials remind drivers to expect delays and stay alert on the road.

On average, more than once a week, there is a shooting near a school in New Mexico, and nearly half the time, someone is killed.

According to data obtained by the Get the Facts Data Team, there have been 833 shootings adjacent to New Mexico’s schools in the past ten years, resulting in 526 people killed.

“When you first told me the numbers, I thought I heard you wrong,” said Darren White, former Bernalillo County sheriff and public safety director. “I was shocked that there are so many shootings close proximity to our schools,”

White said that numerous state laws make penalties harsher for crimes occurring near schools, including firearm possession and drug dealing.

“We put laws in place years ago because we recognize that schools should be sanctuaries, right?” White said.

La Mesa Elementary in Albuquerque’s International District leads the list. In the past ten years, there have been 24 shootings within 500 yards of this school, resulting in 20 deaths. However, this school is not alone in being close to gunfire.

A map from the data team shows that statewide, Missouri Avenue and Valley View Elementary Schools in Roswell had 11 and 8 shootings, respectively, while Las Montanas Charter and Lynn Middle Schools in Las Cruces both had 8 and 8 respectively.

“If it’s being reported that it’s over 800 in this period of time, how many more are taking place that haven’t been reported that we didn’t know about?” White asked. “And so I would argue, like in many of our crime stats, that number is even higher. And, uh … It’s chilling, it really is.”

These shooting have either occurred at or close to the shools.

For instance, 16-year-old Andrew Burson was killed right next to the football field at West Mesa High School.

Another incident involved a shooting right outside Sandia High School and Christ Lutheran School, which led to both institutions being locked down in the middle of the day.

It’s not just the NCAA Tournament that’s down to the final four teams, but the NIT also has just four teams remaining in its bracket. The semifinals are set to begin on Thursday night, with the first of two games being a showdown between New Mexico from the Mountain West and Tulsa from the American.

Let’s dive into the odds and my best bet for Thursday night’s matchup, with a berth in the NIT final on the line.

New Mexico vs. Tulsa Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

• New Mexico -3.5 (-118)
• Tulsa +3.5 (-104)

Moneyline

• New Mexico -178
• Tulsa +146

Total

• OVER 161.5 (-110)
• UNDER 161.5 (-110)

New Mexico vs. Tulsa How to Watch

• Date: Thursday, April 2
• Game Time: 7:00 pm ET
• Venue: Hinkle Fieldhouse
• How to Watch (TV): ESPN
• New Mexico Record: 26-10
• Tulsa Record: 29-7

New Mexico vs. Tulsa Betting Trends

• Tulsa is 1-5 ATS in its last six games
• The OVER is 8-3 in Tulsa’s last 11 games
• Tulsa is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games as an underdog
• New Mexico is 5-0-1 ATS in its last six games
• The OVER is 13-7 in New Mexico’s last 20 games

New Mexico vs. Tulsa Key Player to Watch

• David Green, F – Tulsa Golden Hurricanes

If Tulsa wants to pull off the upset and win this game, they need David Green to step up in a big way. He’s the team’s leading scorer, averaging 15.7 points per game, but he scored just five points in the NIT quarterfinal. Let’s see if he can bounce back with a strong performance tonight.

New Mexico vs. Tulsa Prediction and Pick

Tulsa has already beaten one Mountain West team in the NIT, taking down UNLV by a score of 77-66, and I think they can at least cover as underdogs against New Mexico.

The Golden Hurricanes are one of the best shooting teams in college basketball, ranking 25th in effective field goal percentage. Well above New Mexico, which comes in at 70th in that metric. Tulsa is also a solid team defensively, ranking 106th in defensive efficiency.

The Mountain West continues to be an overrated conference. Their regular season and tournament champion lost in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, Colorado State and Wyoming both lost in the first round of the NIT, and UNLV fell in the second round to Tulsa.

I’m going to continue to follow my strategy of fading the Mountain West in postseason tournaments.

Pick: Tulsa +3.5 (-104) via FanDuel

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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