New Mexico State vs Montana Betting
The breakdown: Montana surprised the rest of the Big Sky mildly, entering as the three seed and beating the rest of the field to capture the automatic bid. New Mexico got in as an at large after recording the most wins in school history. The Lobos are nine point favorites.
Why New Mexico will win: We will see if New Mexico deserved a three seed or not shortly enough. What we do know is that they cruised through their regular season and stumbled inexplicably in the Mountain West Tournament. Guard Darington Hobson is an absolute nightmare match up for Montana, averaging 16 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists per game.
Why Montana will win: Montana is a great three point and free throw shooting team, and will need to continue that success to have a chance to beat New Mexico. Even though they are a three seed, the Lobos are not as historically a daunting team as a Pittsburgh or a Georgetown, so Montana should not be intimidated.
Pick: New Mexico by 11.
