2022 NCAA Tournament First Round: No. 5 UCONN Huskies vs. No. 12 New Mexico State Aggies
How to Watch:
- Date: Thursday, March 17
- Time: 6:50 p.m. ET
- Location: KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY
- TV: TNT
- Live Stream: NCAA.com
Tale of the Tape:
| No. 5 UCONN | STAT | No. 12 NMSU |
| Big East | Conference | Western Athletic Conference |
| 23-9 | Record | 26-6 |
| 75.2 (76th) | Points Per Game | 73.3 (126th) |
| 65.2 | Points Allowed Per Game | 65.0 |
| 0.5992 (27th) | RPI | 0.6001 (23rd) |
| 52nd | Strength of Schedule | 133rd |
| At-Large Bid | Bid | Automatic Bid |
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Connecticut leaders:
- Adama Sanogo, F, JSO: 14.9 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.0 BPG, 51.1% FG
- Tyrese Martin, G, SR: 13.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 42 3PT%
New Mexico State leaders:
- Teddy Allen, G, JR: 19.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.2 SPG
- Sir’Jabari Rice, G, JR: 12.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 3.2 APG
Odds, Lines, and Past Performance:
- NMSU Moneyline: +230
- UCONN Moneyline: -290
- Spread: UCONN -7
- Over/Under: 131.5
- ATS Record: UCONN 13-18-1, NMSU 17-12
- Over/Under Record: UCONN 18-14, NMSU 15-13-1
Odds courtesy of Draftkings. For the latest odds, click here.
The Pick:
- Neither team is going to be rattled in this one, that’s for sure. The Aggies are in their ninth NCAA Tournament in the last ten years, and the Huskies are a staple in the Big Dance.
- The experience on the Aggies would have made them a pretty strong upset candidate if they had gotten a different draw. They rank 81st in the nation in KenPom’s rankings, with a good balance on offense and defense. They like to play at a slow pace (223rd in tempo) but are not a particularly strong team from beyond the arc, shooting just 32.6% (244th) on 24 attempts. That’s unfortunate because the Huskies allow threes at a decent clip.
- However, the Huskies also hit a lot of threes, ranking 92nd in the country with a 35.3% rate from deep on 21.1 attempts per game.
- The Huskies also play at a slow pace, 291st in the country in adjusted tempo, and are a physical rebounding team, so they don’t give up a lot of second-chance points. It will be hard for the Aggies to score inside, but there is a good chance the slower pace of this game and the experience of the Aggies will allow them to keep it close, which favors the favorite since they are the better free-throw shooting team but could allow the underdogs to cover the spread.
