New Mexico St. @ Santa Clara Game Preview and Pick

Amidst the turmoil, this New Mexico State program is currently facing they will head to Santa Clara tonight to take on the Broncos. We’ll preview the game and go over why the Broncos have great value tonight.

Game Preview

A lot has been happening off the court for this New Mexico State Aggies team but as for on the court the Aggies are currently 4-2 and have won two straight games. The level of competition the Aggies have played so far has not been overly challenging as they are ranked 233rd in non-conference strength of schedule.

Offensively this team has been solid all season and while some of that can be attributed to the level of competition they have played, overall the Aggies have a talented scoring offense. NMSU has averaged 79.3 points per game while shooting 43.8% from three-point range which is top five in the country. Xavier Pinson leads the Aggies in scoring with 13.3 points per game.

The Aggies aren’t the only high-scoring offense in this match-up as the Broncos have also been impressive this season on the offensive end. Santa Clara is averaging 75.3 points per game against some very good non-conference opponents. Brandin Podziemski is a large reason why the Broncos have started 7-2 and look like a tough offensive team to stop.

Podziemski is averaging 20.6 points per game while shooting 41.5% from three and he is coming off a 27-point performance in the Broncos' most recent win. The Illinois transfer could pose a big threat to this Aggies defense that is allowing 74.8 points per game and letting opponents shoot an average of 44.8% from the field.

Pick for the Game

Santa Clara can be found as -6.5 point favorites tonight at home and they are my play for this one. For starters, this New Mexico State team has only played one opponent rated higher than Santa Clara on KenPom, and in that game, NMSU lost 85-68. The Aggies just have not been challenged by strong offensive teams this year so I think tonight will be a tough matchup for them.

The Aggies also struggle mightily when it comes to rebounding, NMSU is only bringing in an average of 8 offensive rebounds per game and 33.3 total rebounds per game. This Broncos team is 18th in the country in total rebounds per game with 40.6 so with this advantage the Broncos will be able to hold the Aggies to just one shot a possession while also being able to get quite a few second chance looks on offense.

Santa Clara has played a lot of solid opponents this season with good offenses so tonight’s game will be nothing new for them, but I think the Aggies will struggle to limit large scoring runs from the Broncos and won’t be able to come back from that.