New Mexico vs Air Force Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for January 27 (Lobos Bounce Back in a Blowout Conference Win)

New Mexico vs Air Force Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Regular Season Game
• No. 25 New Mexico (18-3, 5-3 MWC) vs. Air Force (12-9, 3-5 MWC)
• Date: Friday, January 27, 2023
• Time: 10:00 PM ET
• Venue: Dreamstyle Arena -- Albuquerque, New Mexico

The 2022-23 college basketball season continues on Friday with an exciting matchup between the Air Force Falcons and No. 25 New Mexico Lobos. Air Force is coming off an 82-52 blowout loss to San Jose State on Tuesday. Camden Vander Zwaag was the only player to score in double-digits (11).

Meanwhile, New Mexico is aiming to bounce back following a 97-94 double overtime loss to Nevada on Monday. The Lobos fought back from a five-point halftime deficit, but could not get the job done on the road. Jamal Mashburn Jr. balled out with 33 points, while Jaelen House logged 10 assists.

New Mexico vs Air Force Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: N MEX: (-900) | AIRFOR: (+590)
• Spread: N MEX: -12.5 (-110) | AIRFOR: +12.5 (-110)
• Total: 142.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

New Mexico enters this contest as clear home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 10 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 142.5 points, which is above average compared to Friday's projected totals.

New Mexico vs Air Force Betting Trends

• New Mexico has beaten the spread 11 times in 19 games.
• Against the spread as 11.5-point favorites or more, the Lobos are 4-1.
• New Mexico has seen 12 of its 19 games hit the over.
• Air Force's record against the spread is 13-8-0.
• The Falcons are unbeaten ATS (1-0) as a 11.5-point underdog or more this season.
• This year, 12 of Air Force's 21 games have hit the over.

New Mexico Rank	New Mexico AVG		Air Force AVG	Air Force Rank
15th	82.5	Points Scored	68.1	273rd
223rd	70.8	Points Allowed	65.2	72nd
28th	35.9	Rebounds	27.5	358th
237th	8.1	Off. Rebounds	6.0	345th
323rd	5.8	3pt Made	8.3	86th
76th	14.8	Assists	15.5	41st
138th	11.8	Turnovers	10.3	25th

New Mexico vs Air Force Prediction & Pick

New Mexico plays at one of the fastest paces in college basketball, averaging 71.3 possessions per 40 minutes (No. 22 in NCAA). Air Force plays at one of the slowest paces, averaging 63.0 possessions per 40 minutes (No. 347 in NCAA). That difference in style will make a huge difference on Friday night.

The Falcons are going to be forced to up the tempo facing off against a high-scoring team. The Lobos are putting up 81.5 points per game on a shooting mark of 48.6% and both of those marks rank as the 11th-best in the country. New Mexico may pull away in this game early in the first half.

New Mexico has also won 12 straight home games against Air Force, so rock with the Lobos here.

Final Score Prediction: New Mexico: 80 | Air Force: 64

New Mexico vs Air Force Best Bet

This game lines up as a complete mismatch. New Mexico has won 15 of its last 16 home games and owns an average scoring margin of +13.5 at Dreamstyle Arena this year. On the other side, Air Force has lost 15 of its last 19 conference games and owns an average scoring margin of -5.4 on the road.

The Falcons are 1-4 against the spread (ATS) in their last five games against a team with a winning record, while the Lobos are 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall. Air Force doesn't have the talent to keep up in a shootout and New Mexico needs a great performance. That's a recipe for a blowout.

Bet: New Mexico Lobos -12.5 (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.