The Nebraska Cornhuskers and New Mexico Lobos meet in college basketball on Thursday night as part of the Hall of Fame Classic. Nebraska enters unbeaten, while New Mexico is navigating a major roster overhaul and looking to overcome a loss in a rivalry game in their last outing. Here, I break down this matchup in non-conference play and make my New Mexico vs Nebraska prediction for this game.
Our New Mexico vs Nebraska Pick
- Pick: Under 152.5
- Confidence: ★★★★☆
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: New Mexico Lobos @ Nebraska Cornhuskers
- Date & Time: Thursday, November 20, 2025, 7:00 PM ET
- Venue: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri
- Broadcast: Peacock
Key Storylines
- New coaching era in Albuquerque. New Mexico is under first-year head coach Eric Olen, who takes over a roster that lost all five starters from last season. The Lobos are now composed primarily of transfers and freshmen, making early-season cohesion a big question. The Lobos are 3-1 to start the season and will try to bounce back from a loss to rivals New Mexico State in their last outing.
- Key New Mexico players. Fifth-year senior Deyton Albury is leading the Lobos with 13.0 points per game and he’s drawing a high volume of free throw attempts. Freshman Tomislav Buljan is making noise too, averaging close to a double-double through the Lobos’ first four games.
- Nebraska’s early strength. The Cornhuskers are 4–0 to start the year, and they showed their offensive upside in a 105–99 win over Oklahoma in their last game. Pryce Sandfort scored 28 points with seven assists in that game, while veteran forward Rienk Mast posted a triple-double in a prior contest.
- Neutral-site game. This contest takes place in Kansas City, not on either team’s home court. That may slightly mute home-court advantage, but the Cornhuskers should still have the majority of the support there.
Head-to-Head & Betting Trends
- This is only the second-ever meeting between these two programs. The first came in the 2009 NIT, when New Mexico won 83–71.
- Nebraska is 3-1 against the spread to start the season.
- New Mexico is 1-3 against the spread to begin the year.
- Both teams are 2-2 in the over/under market going into this game.
New Mexico vs Nebraska Model Projection
Score Projection: New Mexico 72 – Nebraska 78
Win Probability: New Mexico 24%, Nebraska 76%
Final Thoughts
My best bet for this non-conference matchup in college basketball is for the under to hit at 152.5 points. New Mexico hangs its hat on the defensive end of the floor right now and both teams are allowing under 70 points per game early in the season. I'm expecting a grind-it-out kind of game between these two teams and for the game to land under the total in Kansas City.
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