New Mexico vs Boise State Odds and Picks

• The Boise State Broncos will host the New Mexico Lobos at Extra Mile Arena on Wednesday night
• It’s the second straight meeting between the teams at Boise State and the Broncos won the last showdown 77-53
• Can New Mexico make this meeting any more competitive?

The Boise State Broncos and New Mexico Lobos will square off on Wednesday night in what will be the second straight contest between the two teams played at Boise State. They met on Monday at Extra Mile Arena and the Broncos rolled the Lobos 77-53. The Broncos will serve as hosts again on Wednesday, so should bettors expect the same result?

New Mexico Lobos vs Boise State Broncos Odds

All odds taken Dec. 22

Lobos Had Been Undefeated Prior To Broncos Meeting

The Lobos started the season with three straight wins topping Rice, Our Lady Of The Lake and Le Tourneau by double-digits. Of course, you can tell by some of the names of the teams they’ve faced that they hadn’t exactly been tested. Rice was the lone Division I foe and they were just 15-17 last year.

New Mexico faced their first test of the season on Sunday at Boise State and they failed quite miserably. The only lead they held in that contest was at 3-0 as they trailed the entire way after that. One of the main issues was that New Mexico, which leads the nation in offensive rebound percentage of 47.8 percent, was worked on the glass 35-29.

First bucket of the game makes it 1,001 career points for senior Makuach Maluach! 👏💪🐺 Congratulations Makuach!#GoLobos pic.twitter.com/5pyMWLJejP

— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) December 17, 2020

This team is mostly a one-trick pony as Makuach Maluach averages 17.0 points per game and 8.3 rebounds. If he’s shutdown, though, the Lobos don’t have a ton of weapons beyond that. Boise State had no problems corralling him and if that’s the case on Wednesday again, the Lobos are likely to get blown out again.

Boise State Has Looked Strong So Far

The Broncos started the year with a 10-point loss at No. 17 Houston but that loss doesn’t look so bad now. Houston is currently the No. 6 team in the country. The Broncos haven’t lost a game otherwise, going 5-0 in their five other contests. and that includes a quality win over BYU, who is 8-2 on the season.

DA set the tone tonight! @deejuusz pic.twitter.com/5MZv4XmGwg

— Boise State MBB (@BroncoSportsMBB) December 22, 2020

The Broncos have more balance on their roster as they have four players that average double-digits in scoring. Derrick Alston Jr. leads the team with 16.0 points per game but it’s actually RayJ Dennis who has been a big reason in the team’s recent success. He’s either scored or assists 40% of the team’s field goals over their last three contests.

Dennis stuffed the stat sheet in the first meeting between the teams, pouring in 16 points while adding five assists, three rebounds, three steels and a three. The Broncos had four scorers in double-figures in Sunday’s affair and that scoring depth is likely to be the key to their success again on Wednesday.

What’s The Best Bet?

The Broncos rolled in the first meeting between the teams and it’s hard to see anything changing this time around. The game plan is quite simple: slow down Maluach and the Broncos should breeze to a win. Maluach averaged 18.3 points per game on 62.5% from the field in his first three games; Boise State held him to 13 points on 41.7% shooting.

How it started How it's going@rayjdennis10 has LEVELED ⏫ this year! pic.twitter.com/z03zovetal

— Boise State MBB (@BroncoSportsMBB) December 19, 2020

Boise State is also a reliable home team as they have won their last three home games by a margin of exactly 24.0 points per contest. They should be able to win and cover the 12.5-point spread on Wednesday.