How to watch New Mexico vs. Clemson in NCAA Tournament: start time, TV channel and odds

For the first time since 2014 the New Mexico Lobos are in the NCAA Tournament. After Richard Pitino’s crew won the Mountain West Conference Tournament, they were seeded 11 by the Selection Committee, and will square off against the 6-seeded Clemson Tigers from the ACC. Here’s all the info for Friday’s showdown.

All odds are courtesy of DraftKings.

Odds: New Mexico -148, Clemson +124

DraftKings Line: O/U 151.5, New Mexico -2.5, Clemson +2.5

(Odds/lines subject to change. Visit DraftKings for more information.)

When: Friday, March 22^nd, 2024, at 1:10 p.m. Mountain Time

Broadcasted: TruTV, Westwood One Sports Radio Network

Stream: NCAA March Madness, CBS/ Paramount+, TruTV.com

Breakdowns:

New Mexico 26-9, MWC Tournament Champions, 22^nd in NET, 8-0 Neutral, SOS: 27^th

Best Wins: San Diego State (5-Seed), Utah State (8-Seed), Nevada (10-Seed), Colorado State (10-Seed), Boise State (10-Seed)

Worst Loss: Air Force (9-22)

Clemson 21-11, 5^th in ACC, 35^th in NET, 3-1 Neutral, SOS: 24^th

Best Wins: North Carolina (1-Seed), Alabama (4-Seed), South Carolina (6-Seed), TCU (9-Seed), Boise State (10-Seed)

Worst Loss: Notre Dame (13-20)

Both the Lobos and Tigers are close in a ton of categories. UNM averages 81.7 points per game, while Clemson goes 77.4 points per game. The Tigers averaged 46.8% from the field this season, while the Lobos went 46%.

X-Factor Matchup:

The most intriguing matchup will be between PJ Hall from Clemson and who he will go up against from UNM. The Lobos have JT Toppin, the MWC Co-Freshman of the Year, and Nelly Junior Jospeh. Toppin averaged 12 points and nine rebounds this season, while racking up 12 double-doubles. Junior Joseph went for nine points and eight rebounds on the season, and he had eight double-doubles. Hall averaged 18 points and seven rebounds a game this season and went for seven double-doubles on the year. Toppin has the defensive edge with his ability to block shots, but Hall has the experience with being a senior. Junior Joseph is also a senior, but this is his first season playing for the Lobos.

Where the Game will be Won or Lost:

The Lobos do boast three guards that for all intents and purposes hold sway over how the Lobos will perform.

Jaelen House might be the most polarizing player in the tournament. He feeds off the crowd, both cheering him on and heckling him. House played his best basketball of the season in the MWC Tournament, winning the Tournament MVP honors, and is on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watch list. He is the NCAA’s active steals leader and will be a force both offensively and defensively.

Jamal Mashburn Jr. is a double-figures machine. The senior averaged 14.4 points per game and had only four games out of the 27 he played in where he didn’t score at least 10 points. He is a mid-range jump shot extraordinaire.

Donovan Dent has been the breakout player for UNM, averaging 14.3 points per game and leading them in assists with 5.9. Dent also has nerves of steel, scoring three game winning baskets in the final seconds for UNM this season.

Clemson’s guards are also experienced and will play a huge role in this game.

Joseph Girard III plays similar to Mashburn. He is very consistent, averaging 12.8 points per game, while scoring less than 10 just four times himself. He is also not afraid to pull the trigger from behind the arc.

Chase Hunter has been up and down this season, averaging 12.3 points per game, but has disappeared in some contests, including the Tigers loss in the ACC Tournament where he scored just two points in a 76-55 defeat to Boston College. However, he had 15 points in a win over Alabama earlier in the season.

How goes the back court in this one will be a huge factor in determining the outcome of this game.

Prediction:

It’s interesting that this is a 6 vs 11 matchup, as on paper this is more of an 8 vs 9 matchup. Both of these teams have been wildly inconsistent this year.

The Lobos seemed on track until folding against Air Force but rebounded to win the MWC Tournament.

Clemson beat North Carolina this year, but also lost three of their last four entering the tournament, with all three losses coming against teams that did not make the tournament.

I expect House to come out energized, but I feel the play of Dent and Mashburn will make a difference, and then Obi Toppin’s little brother JT will become a household name by the end. I like the Lobos in a close one.

New Mexico-76 Clemson-70