#10 New Mexico vs #7 Marquette NCAAB Pick: Lobos Eyeing an Upset (Mar 21)

• New Mexico lost 72-69 to Boise State in a close Mountain West Semifinal game.
• Marquette was bounced by St. John’s in the Big East Semifinals, losing 79-63.
• These teams last met on December 21, 2013, in a game that New Mexico won 75-68.

New Mexico and Marquette face off in an stellar matchup. The Lobos are a popular upset pick after an excellent season, but face a tough battle with the Golden Eagles. The winner of this game may draw a clash with 2-seed Michigan State, but first needs to escape the first round.

New Mexico Can’t Be Overlooked

New Mexico enters at 26-7 after winning the Mountain West regular season title. They came up short in the conference tourney, but have a decent shot to win this game. After poor results by San Diego State and Utah State, the Lobos will aim to become the best of the Mountain West.

New Mexico is led on offense by Donovan Dent, who ranks 8th in the nation in points per game with 20.6. Dent has scored 20 or more points in 6 straight games and 9 of his last 10. He will be crucial to the Lobos chances of earning the upset over a balanced Marquette opponent.

Marquette Eyes Up 2nd Round

Speaking of balanced, Marquette finished with top-35 marks in both offense and defense. The relative strength of the Big East this year is still uncertain, but Creighton’s early win bodes well for their chances. Marquette needs to find a way to slow down Donovan Dent in this game.

The Golden Eagles have an elite scorer of their own by the name of Kam Jones. In his last three games, Jones is averaging 28 points. Despite that, Marquette went 1-2 in those games with both losses coming to St. John’s. They need to find a way to support Jones with more offense.

New Mexico Lobos vs Marquette Golden Eagles Pick

I picked the Mountain West to go 0-4 in this year’s tournament after being overconfident in them the last few years. They’ve struggled mightily to convert strong NET rankings into postseason wins and this year appears to be no different. While New Mexico might be the best of the Mountain West, I don’t see them having enough to overwhelm a team like Marquette.