New Mexico vs Utah Valley Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 15 NIT Game (Lobos Ball Out in Dreamstyle Arena)

New Mexico vs Utah Valley Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Basketball NIT Game
• New Mexico (22-11) vs. Utah Valley (25-8)
• Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2023
• Time: 10:00 PM ET
• Venue: Dreamstyle Arena -- Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Coverage: ESPN+

The 2023 NIT continues on Wednesday with a thrilling first-round matchup between the Utah Valley Wolverines and New Mexico Lobos. Utah Valley fell short of making the NCAA Tournament with a 25-8 record (15-3 conference), while New Mexico did not make the field with a 20-12 record (12-6 conference).

New Mexico vs Utah Valley Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: N MEX: (-230) | UT VAL: (+188)
• Spread: N MEX: -5.5 (-110) | UT VAL: +5.5 (-110)
• Total: 163.5 -- Over: (-115) | Under: (-105)

New Mexico enters this contest as a moderate favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 10 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 163.5 points, which is above average compared to Wednesday's projected totals.

New Mexico vs Utah Valley Betting Trends

• Against the spread, New Mexico is 16-15-0 this season.
• The Lobos are 9-8 as 5.5-point favorites or more.
• There have been 22 New Mexico's games (out of 31) that went over the total this year.
• Against the spread, Utah Valley is 20-9-0 this season.
• The Wolverines have two wins ATS (2-2) as a 5.5-point underdog or more this year.
• There have been 16 Utah Valley games (out of 29) that went over the total this year.

New Mexico Rank	New Mexico AVG		Utah Valley AVG	Utah Valley Rank
13th	81.2	Points Scored	76.9	57th
292nd	74.0	Points Allowed	68.0	119th
59th	33.8	Rebounds	37.4	2nd
233rd	7.9	Off. Rebounds	9.1	123rd
330th	5.7	3pt Made	6.5	277th
131st	13.7	Assists	16.0	20th
94th	11.0	Turnovers	13.3	310th

New Mexico vs Utah Valley Prediction & Pick

Utah Valley earned the WAC regular season title, but fell short of their ultimate goal of making the NCAA Tournament by giving up 56 points in the second half of an 89-88 loss to Southern Utah in the title game. The Wolverines' dreams were crushed and bouncing back on Wednesday will not be easy.

New Mexico posted a 14-0 record outside of the Mountain West Conference this season and plays at a quick pace (No. 29 in possessions per game). Pace is what has caused trouble for Utah Valley in the past. Keep in mind it has lost its two games against the MWC this year by an average of 17.5 points.

New Mexico has won 16 of its last 20 home games, so back the Lobos to move on with a victory.

Final Score Prediction: New Mexico: 85 | Utah Valley: 75

New Mexico vs Utah Valley Best Bet

This is New Mexico's first appearance in a postseason tournament since 2014, so it's safe to say the Lobos are going to be pumped up in front of their home crowd. Momentum is crucial in a setting like this and it should be on the side of a New Mexico team that averages 81.9 points per home game.

Utah Valley averages nearly 11 less points per game on the road than it does at home this season. The Wolverines are only 5-11 against the spread (ATS) in its last 16 games in March, while the Lobos are 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven games against WAC opponents. The home team will get it done.

Bet: New Mexico Lobos -5.5 (-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.