First place in the Western Athletic Conference will be on the line tonight when the New Mexico State Aggies travel to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seattle Redhawks. The winner of tonight’s game will be all but guaranteed to finish with a top-2 seed in the conference. The importance of this cannot be overstated as the top two teams receive an automatic bye to the semifinals of next month’s WAC basketball tournament. The following article takes a look at the top college basketball betting picks and betting trends, then shares a New Mexico State vs Seattle prediction for tonight’s matchup.
New Mexico State vs Seattle College Basketball Betting Preview
Men’s College Basketball Regular Season Game
New Mexico State Aggies (22-4, 12-2 WAC) vs. Seattle Redhawks (21-6, 12-2 WAC)
Date: Monday, February 21, 2022
Time: 10 p.m. EST
Venue: Redhawk Arena — Seattle, WA
Coverage: ESPN+
New Mexico State Aggies Preview
The last time New Mexico State was in action, the Aggies throttled Grand Canyon on the road in front of a hostile and raucous crowd. NMSU has won two straight and seven of its last eight contests overall. Coming into the college basketball season, New Mexico State was widely expected to be a force within the Western Athletic Conference. Chris Jans’ team has lived up to the billing. According to KenPom’s overall power rankings, New Mexico State is easily the class of the WAC. The Aggies boast a top-100 ranking at No. 85 overall. NMSU boasts top-90 rankings in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency.
One need not look any further than Saturday’s clinic at Grand Canyon to see just what the Aggies are capable of. Teddy Allen exploded for 30 points while also chipping in 10 rebounds and five assists in Saturday’s win. He has legitimate NBA size and skill at the guard position and leads the team in both scoring and rebounding this season. The rest of New Mexico State’s lineup simply serves as his supporting cast. That being said, Sir’Jabari Rice, Johnny McCants and Donnie Tillman are all forces to be reckoned with in their own right.
Seattle Redhawks Preview
With an interim coach in Chris Victor at the helm, the Redhawks are truly the surprise story of the conference this season. After suffering each of their two college basketball betting defeats to date within three days of each other, Seattle has since rebounded with four consecutive wins to stay tied atop the WAC standings at 12-2. However, Seattle is only the fourth WAC team listed in KenPom’s rankings at No. 119. The Redhawks’ improbable season has relied largely on stout defensive play. While they boast a top-60 adjusted defensive efficiency ranking, Seattle ranks outside the top-200 on the offensive end.
It was just five days ago that Seattle dropped a whopping 102 points in a 40-point road win at UTRGV. The Redhawks do have a legitimate scoring duo in Darrion Trammell (16.4 points per game) and Cameron Tyson (15.7). However, Riley Grigsby is the only other Seattle player who has averaged in double figures this season. Dropping 100 on UTRGV is also somewhat misleading given just how awful the Vaqueros are on defense. It should also be noted that the Redhawks like to get out and run. They rank 30th in the country in adjusted tempo according to KenPom.
New Mexico State vs Seattle College Basketball Betting Odds and Picks
All New Mexico State vs Seattle college basketball betting odds can be found at BetUS Sportsbook.
Moneyline: NMSU: (-150) | SEA: (+130)
Point Spread: NMSU: -2.5 (-110) | SEA: +2.5 (-110)
Total: 144 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
New Mexico State vs Seattle College Basketball Betting Trends
- Aggies are 9-1 ATS in their last ten road games as a college basketball betting favorite.
- Aggies are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning percentage of .600 or better.
- Redhawks are 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 games following a straight up win.
- The total has gone UNDER in seven of the Redhawks’ last eight home games.
- Road teams are 6-2 ATS in the last eight New Mexico State vs Seattle head-to-head matchups.
New Mexico State vs Seattle Prediction | College Basketball Betting Picks
When it comes down to it, laying less than three points with a superior New Mexico State outfit has to be viewed as a bargain. The Aggies earned a comfortable 13-point win over Seattle on their home floor in Las Cruces earlier this month. In Teddy Allen, NMSU quite clearly has the best player in tonight’s first-place WAC basketball showdown. While the Redhawks’ defense has been stout all season long, Allen still went off for 33 points in the first meeting between the teams.
The other key advantage the Aggies figure to have in tonight’s college basketball betting matchup is in the frontcourt. Seattle simply does not have the size to compete with NMSU on the glass. On the season, Emeka Udenyi (5.7) and Cameron Tyson (5.5) are the only Redhawks averaging more than 4.0 rebounds per game. Contrast this to New Mexico State which has four players averaging at least 4.7 boards per contest, led by Allen’s 7.4. In the first meeting, Johnny McCants was able to dominate the interior for the Aggies on his way to posting a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double.
New Mexico State vs Seattle Prediction: New Mexico State -2.5 (-110 at BetUS Sportsbook)
