Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, New Mexico looks much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a quick 30-26 lead against Grambling State.
If New Mexico keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 4-1 in no time. On the other hand, Grambling State will have to make due with a 1-2 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Grambling State Tigers @ New Mexico Lobos
Current Records: Grambling State 1-1, New Mexico 3-1
How To Watch
What to Know
If the oddsmakers’ predictions hold true, the near future looks bright for New Mexico. They will look to defend their home court on Thursday against the Grambling State Tigers at 9:00 p.m. ET at The Pit. The Lobos are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 83.5 points per game this season.
New Mexico is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering St. John’s just ended the team’s three-game winning streak on Sunday. They fell 85-71 to the Red Storm. The loss was the Lobos’ first of the season.
The loss doesn’t tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was CJ Noland, who earned 15 points along with three steals. He had some trouble finding his footing against TX A&M-CC last Tuesday, so this was a nice turnaround. Mustapha Amzil was another key player, posting 16 points.
Meanwhile, Grambling State was no doubt aware that the odds were against they in their matchup with Florida but that awareness did nothing to prevent the predicted outcome. Grambling State suffered a bruising 86-62 defeat at the hands of Florida last Monday. The Tigers have now taken an ‘L’ in back-to-back games.
Despite the loss, Grambling State had strong showings from Kintavious Dozier, who went 7 for 11 en route to 19 points plus five rebounds, and Antwan Burnett, who went 6 for 11 en route to 16 points plus five rebounds and three steals. The dominant performance also gave Dozier a new career-high in field goal percentage (63.6%).
Grambling State struggled to work together and finished the game with only four assists. That’s the fewest assists they’ve posted since back in February.
New Mexico’s defeat was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 3-1. As for Grambling State, their loss dropped their record down to 1-1.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: New Mexico has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 38.2 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like Grambling State struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 38.3. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we’ll see if one team can grab an edge.
Everything went New Mexico’s way against Grambling State in their previous meeting back in November of 2021, as New Mexico made off with an 86-61 victory. Does New Mexico have another victory up their sleeve, or will Grambling State turn the tables on them? We’ll have the answer soon enough.
Odds
New Mexico is a big 19.5-point favorite against Grambling State, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Lobos as a 19-point favorite.
The over/under is 150.5 points.
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Series History
New Mexico won the only game these two teams have played in the last 3 years.
- Nov 15, 2021 – New Mexico 86 vs. Grambling State 61