The New Mexico Lobos will travel to Moraga, California to face the 23^rd-ranked Saint Mary’s Gaels at the University Credit Union Pavilion with tip-off scheduled for 10:00 PM ET on Thursday night with the game airing on ESPN+.

New Mexico failed to make the NCAA tournament last season even though they finished the regular season with 22 wins with an overall record of 22-12, however, they had a losing record in conference play as they finished with a record of 8-10 in the Mountain West last season. The Lobos started the season winning their first 14 games of the year which got them into the Top 25 in the rankings and peaked at 21^st in the polls, however, after starting the season off 14-0 they would go on to lose 12 of their last 20 games. The New Mexico Lobos would win in the 1^st round of the Mountain West Tournament against the Wyoming Cowboys by a score of 87-76 before losing in the quarterfinals against the Utah State Aggies by a score of 76-91 and earning an invitation to the NIT in which they lost in the 1^st round against the Utah Valley Wolverines by a score of 69-83. This season, the Lobos have started the season with a record of 1-0 following a 92-55 win against the Texas Southern Tigers.

The Saint Mary’s Gaels have quickly become one of the best mid-majors in college basketball after finishing last season with a record of 27-8 which included a 14-2 record in the West Coast Conference and finished with a ranking of 22^nd in the Coaches Poll and a ranking of 19^th in the AP Poll. The Gaels were Co-Champions of the regular season in the West Coast Conference, however, they failed to win the West Coast Conference tournament after beating the BYU Cougars in the Semifinals by a score of 75-69 they would lose to the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Championship game by a score of 51-77. However, they still made the NCAA tournament as an at-large team and won in the 1^st round against the VCU Rams by a score of 63-51 before losing in the 2^nd round against the UConn Huskies by a score of 55-70. This season the Gaels enter the regular season ranked 23^rd in the AP Poll and 23^rd in the Coaches Poll while already starting the season with a dominating win against the Stanislaus State Warriors by a score of 107-28.

BookMaker has the Saint Mary’s Gaels listed as 5-point favorites at home against the New Mexico Lobos on Thursday night. New Mexico is 2-1 all-time in the series while Saint Mary’s is 2-1 ATS all-time with the last matchup occurring last season which resulted in a 69-65 win for the New Mexico Lobos and a cover as a 9.5-point underdog on the road.

Saint Mary’s is the more talented team this season and will be looking to avenge last season’s loss at home against New Mexico on Thursday night. The Gaels are a Top 25 program and dominated in their first game of the season by defeating the Stanislaus State Warriors by a score of 107-28. This matchup will be tougher for the Gaels, however, I look for them to get the cover at home in a series that they have gone 2-1 ATS all-time which is why I am laying the points with the Saint Mary’s Gaels when they host the New Mexico Lobos on Thursday night.