UTEP Miners vs New Mexico State Aggies Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UTEP Miners vs New Mexico State Aggies

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Pan American Center in Las Cruces, NM

TV: ESPN+

Pan American Center is the location where the New Mexico State Aggies (12-13) will meet the UTEP Miners (10-16) on Saturday.

The UTEP Miners faced off with Liberty and ended up losing by a score of 73-64 in their last contest. UTEP wrapped up the game with a 48.0% field goal percentage (24 out of 50) and converted 8 out of their 19 three-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Miners made 8 of 11 attempts for a percentage of 72.7%. In reference to getting rebounds, they compiled 29 with 5 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 9 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing 7 turnovers and having 4 steals. Concerning defense, UTEP allowed the other team to go 50.0% from the floor on 27 of 54 shooting. Liberty recorded 17 dimes and had 7 steals in this matchup. In addition, Liberty had 25 rebounds (7 offensive, 18 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Liberty finished the game at 55.6% from the free throw line by knocking down 10 of 18 shots. They also buried 9 out of their 27 attempts from beyond the arc. In regard to fouls, the Miners walked away with 16 and Liberty recorded 13 fouls.

Elijah Jones is a player who was a major contributor in this game. He finished 50.0% from the floor and recorded 1 assist. He was on the hardwood for 33 minutes and also grabbed 8 rebounds. He ended up scoring 15 points on 6 out of 12 shooting.

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UTEP comes into this matchup with a record of 10-16 this season. They have an average of 69.8 pts per game (320th in D-1) while connecting on 42.9% from the floor. The Miners are connecting on 33.9% on three-point shots (190 of 561) and 69.5% from the free throw line. As a unit, UTEP is pulling down 32.8 boards per game and is sitting with 322 assists for the campaign, which is 304th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They are giving up possession 11.8 times per game and as a group they commit 18.3 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Miners are forcing their opponents into 13.0 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.2 personal fouls. They concede 34.7% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 124th in college in PPG allowed (71.8). The Miners defensively are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 44.8% (627 of 1,398) and they surrender 35.8 rebounds per contest as a unit. They currently rank 117th in the country in giving up assists with 337 relinquished for the campaign.

The last time they took the court, the New Mexico State Aggies took home the win by a final score of 79-70 against Jacksonville State. The Aggies were able to snag 30 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 38 in this matchup. They also coughed up the ball 7 times, while getting 1 steal in this matchup. Jacksonville State earned 18 fouls for the contest which took the Aggies to the free throw line for a total of 31 tries. They were able to make 26 of the free throws for a percentage of 83.9%. Pertaining to 3-point attempts, New Mexico State converted 9 of 24 attempts (37.5%). When the final whistle blew, the Aggies ended up going 22 out of 51 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 43.1%. The Aggies allowed Jacksonville State to make 24 of 65 tries from the field which had them at 36.9% in this matchup. They finished 34.6% from downtown by going 9 out of 26 and ended up going 13 out of 19 from the charity stripe (68.4%). In relation to attacking the glass, New Mexico State permitted Jacksonville State to collect 28 overall (7 on the offensive glass).

Jayland Randall was important for the Aggies for this game. He knocked down 7 of 12 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 58.3%, and totaled 1 rebound. He earned 20 points in his 13 mins of playing time, but wasn't able to tally an assist.

New Mexico State has a win-loss record of 12-13 for the year. As an offense, the Aggies are shooting 43.8% from the floor, which is 275th in D-1. New Mexico State has totaled 1,896 points this season (75.8 per game) and they pull in 37.6 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 13.6 times per game (212th in the country) and they are turning it over 10.7 times per contest. The Aggies commit 19.8 personal fouls per contest and they connect on 73.1% from the charity stripe.

The New Mexico State defense concedes 30.9% on 3-pointers (186 of 601) and their opposition makes 73.6% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 11.2 dimes and 34.5 rebounds every game, which is ranked 30th and 190th in those categories. The Aggies on the defensive side of the court are 108th in college hoops in points given up per game with 71.1. They are able to force 11.4 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 40.7% from the field (37th in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UTEP

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