Who's Playing

Utah Valley @ New Mexico

Regular Season Records: Utah Valley 25-8; New Mexico 22-11

What to Know

The New Mexico Lobos and the Utah Valley Wolverines are set to clash at 10 p.m. ET March 15 at The Pit in the first round of the NIT. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.

New Mexico ended up a good deal behind the Utah State Aggies when they played last Thursday, losing 91-76. The Lobos' loss shouldn't obscure the performances of forward Josiah Allick, who had 14 points along with eight rebounds and three blocks, and forward Morris Udeze, who posted a double-double on 16 points and 11 boards.

Meanwhile, Utah Valley was just a bucket short of a victory last week and fell 89-88 to the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. Five players on Utah Valley scored in the double digits: guard Trey Woodbury (29), forward Tim Fuller (14), guard Justin Harmon (13), guard Le'Tre Darthard (12), and center Aziz Bandaogo (12). Aziz Bandaogo has also now had at least three blocks in his past three games.

New Mexico is the favorite in this one, with an expected 5.5-point margin of victory. They have been good against the spread at home while Utah Valley has been good against the spread on the road, so something will have to give.

Two numbers to keep in mind before tip-off: The Lobos come into the game boasting the 15th highest field goal percentage in college basketball at 48.40%. But the Wolverines have been holding their opponents to a field goal percentage of 38.90%, which places them sixth in college basketball. We'll see which of these strengths -- offense or defense -- will win out.

How To Watch

  • When: Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET
  • Where: The Pit -- Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • TV: ESPN Plus
  • Follow: CBS Sports App
  • Ticket Cost: $45.00

Odds

The Lobos are a solid 5.5-point favorite against the Wolverines, 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 6-point favorite.

Over/Under: -110

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Series History

This is the first time these teams have played each other within the last eight years.