NCAA Tournament Pick: South Region – Marquette vs. New Mexico – Friday, March 21, 2025

The 10th-seed New Mexico Lobos (26-7) and seventh-seed Marquette Golden Eagles (23-10) will battle in the South Region in the NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 21 at 7:25 PM ET at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Golden Eagles are slight favorites to succeed with a point spread at -3.5 (-115) at MyBookie.

New Mexico Lobos Betting Preview

The Lobos are 4-1 in their last five games and recently had their four-game win streak snapped. This was a recent 72-69 defeat to the Boise State Broncos in the Mountain West Championship Semifinal.

Donovan Dent has produced a lot of offense for them this season, averaging 20.6 points and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 78.1 percent from the charity stripe. Nelly Junior Joseph has been a double-double machine with 14.0 points and 11.2 rebounds a game.

New Mexico has been accumulating 81.2 points a game and puts them at 26th in the nation with this effort. On defense they are allowing their opposition to get 70.8 points on them per game, ranking 142nd.

The Lobos are 43rd overall when looking at the strength of schedule and point differentials. Their efficiency on offense in the last 100 possessions shows they are the 114th-best, while their defense at the same rate ranks 16th.

Marquette Golden Eagles Betting Preview

The Golden Eagles are 2-3 in their last five games and need to find consistency soon. They are returning after a 79-63 loss to the St. John’s Red Storm in the Big East Tournament Semifinal.

Kam Jones is their leader on offense, averaging 19.3 points and 5.9 assists while connecting on 48.4 shots from the field but is 64.0 percent from the foul line. David Joplin is another key aspect to the team with 13.8 points and 5.5 rebounds a game.

Marquette is 96th for averaging 76.9 points a game, while their defense ranks 72nd for holding opponents to 68.5 points per battle. This is a solid spread, but they could use more breathing room.

The Golden Eagles are 26th overall for their production in point differentials and strength of schedule. Efficiency per 100 possessions on offense ranks 79th, while the defense at the same rate ranks 63rd.

Odds, Series Trends, and Free Pick

MyBookie offers the best New Mexico Lobos vs. Marquette Golden Eagles betting odds for your betting strategy. Looking at market analysis, the Golden Eagles have a 70.7 percent chance of winning overall.

New Mexico will need to slow the pace down in order to keep Marquette out of a rhythm. This will be tough to do, so look for the Golden Eagles to cover the spread.

Final Pick: Marquette Golden Eagles -3.5 (-115)