Air Force Falcons vs New Mexico Lobos Prediction, 2/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Air Force Falcons vs New Mexico Lobos

Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Location: The Pit in Albuquerque, NM

TV: ESPN+

The Air Force Falcons (3-22) are on their way to The Pit on Tuesday where they will take on the New Mexico Lobos (19-6).

The Air Force Falcons faced Fresno State and took a loss by a score of 93-63 in their last game. In the matter of personal fouls, the Falcons finished with 23 while Fresno State totaled 15 personal fouls. They also made 7 of 23 shots from 3-point range. Fresno State finished the game shooting 71.0% at the charity stripe by burying 22 of 31 attempts. In addition, Fresno State grabbed 35 rebounds (8 offensive, 27 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Fresno State earned 15 dimes and had 9 steals for the contest. In the matter of the defense, Air Force allowed the other team to shoot 55.2% from the field on 32 out of 58 shooting. They also distributed 14 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing 9 turnovers and getting 5 steals. Regarding rebounding, they collected a total of 27 with 5 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Falcons made 12 of 15 attempts for a percentage of 80.0%. Air Force finished the contest with a 38.9% field goal percentage (21 of 54) and knocked down 9 out of their 29 3-pointers.

Lucas Hobin is one player who came through for this contest. He ended up finishing with 26 points on 8 out of 14 shooting. He played 30 mins and snagged 2 boards. He finished the contest at 57.1% from the floor but didn't record a dime.

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Air Force steps onto the hardwood with a mark of 3-22 for the season. They turn it over 15.2 times per game and as a team are committing 17.8 personal fouls per contest. As a unit, Air Force is grabbing 29.1 boards per game and has accounted for 309 assists on the year, which is 316th in college hoops in terms of passing. The Falcons are hitting 31.5% on shots from downtown (170 of 540) and 64.7% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 61.4 points per game (364th in the nation) while shooting 42.7% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Falcons are able to force 10.4 turnovers per game and they draw 17.9 fouls. They currently rank 267th in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 375 surrendered for the season. The Falcons are giving up a shooting percentage of 48.9% (695 of 1,422) and they concede 35.2 boards per game as a group. They are surrendering 37.3% on 3-point attempts and they are 315th in Division 1 in points per game from their opponents (79.0).

The last time they took the court, the New Mexico Lobos went home victorious with a score of 70-64 when they faced Grand Canyon. When discussing attacking the glass, New Mexico allowed Grand Canyon to pull down 34 in total (10 offensive). They went 16.0% from 3-point land by connecting on 4 out of 25 and finished the game at 14 out of 18 from the free throw line (77.8%). The Lobos permitted Grand Canyon to convert 23 out of their 60 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 38.3% in the game. At the conclusion of this game, the Lobos ended up shooting 24 for 51 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 47.1%. When it comes to shots from beyond the arc, New Mexico buried 9 of 16 attempts (56.3%). They were able to knock down 13 of them for a percentage of 72.2%. Grand Canyon committed 16 personal fouls for the matchup which got the Lobos to the free throw line for 18 shots. They also gave up possession 14 times, while recording 6 steals for the contest. The Lobos were able to snag 23 defensive boards and 4 offensive rebounds for a total of 27 in the matchup.

Jake Hall was important for the Lobos for this contest. He knocked down 8 out of 14 in this contest for a field goal percentage of 57.1%, and had 4 rebounds. He tallied 23 points in his 33 mins on the court and earned 1 assist in this contest.

New Mexico has a win-loss mark of 19-6 so far this year. The Lobos are responsible for committing 17.4 personal fouls per game and they go 74.9% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 14.8 times per contest (125th in college) and they are giving up possession 10.9 times per game. New Mexico has totaled 2,020 points this season (80.8 per game) and they collect 36.2 rebounds per game. As an offensive team, the Lobos are hitting on 45.9% from the field, which is ranked 146th in the nation.

The Lobos defensively are ranked 74th in D-1 in points given up per game with 69.5. They are able to force 14.0 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 40.9% from the field (40th in D-1). The New Mexico defense allows 29.5% on shots from beyond the arc (206 of 698) and their opponents are converting on 74.4% of their free throw shots. They have conceded 12.0 dimes and 34.6 total boards per game, which is ranked 72nd and 196th in the country.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take New Mexico

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