National Midweek Game of the Week: #22 Colorado State vs. New Mexico

A late-night Mountain West Conference game between the Rams and the Lobos is this week's edition of the National Midweek Game of the Week.

In one corner, you have ranked Colorado State; a balanced, well built team that runs on the back of senior guard Isaiah Stevens, one of the best players in the program's history. In the other corner is New Mexico; a team that features a deadly backcourt trio in Jaelen House, Donovan Dent, and Jamal Mashburn Jr. My last few NMGOTW picks have ended up not being good games at all. This one will be. 

New Mexico is coached by Richard Pitino, son of the very well-known Rick Pitino. Pitino employs a fast-paced offense and a grounded defense that MWC opponents have had a hard time beating. For the TCU fans who are reading this and are familiar with the Horned Frogs' fast-break reputation, the Lobos have that same reputation. New Mexico ranks fifth in the country in fast break points per game, with just over 16 a game. That guard trio that I mentioned above is the main reason why this offense runs the way it runs. Let's get into it. 

House leads the team in scoring with 15.9 points per game on mediocre shooting. Dent is the more efficient player, and he clocks in just behind House with 15.4 points per game. Mashburn Jr, son of NBA guard Jamal Mashburn, is the least efficient of them all, but who cares, it's fun! Dent leads the team in assists with 5.6 per game, and House leads the team in steals with 2.6 per game. Steals are a big reason for the Lobos success; they are 14th in the country per KenPom.com in defensive steal percentage. They will force you to turn the ball over and then convert in the fast break. 

Colorado State, on the other hand, plays much differently. The Rams are not a fast-paced team, but they are a very efficient team offensively. This matchup is so intriguing because the teams are so different. Colorado State has the 359th fastest defensive possession length per KenPom, meaning not only are the Rams slow, but they force everyone else to play slow. 

Colorado State / © Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Isaiah Stevens is the leader of this team in more ways than just scoring. He does lead his team in points per game with 16.2, but he also leads the Rams in assists (7.4 pg), and he is second in steals per game (1.3). Stevens is a rare case in this day and age of college basketball in the sense that he has been at Colorado State since 2019-2020 (the COVID year). He has averaged at least 13 points per game every year and currently sits second in Colorado State's all-time leading scorers list. When Colorado State and New Mexico met earlier in the season, it was Stevens' team that won thanks to his 18 points, eight assists and three steals. The Allen, Texas native is coming off another 18-point performance in his team's win over Utah State. 

It's a late 9 p.m. CT start, but I have a feeling that this one will be worth it. These are both tournament-caliber teams with tons of talent. Tune in if you can. 

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