College Basketball Picks: New Mexico Lobos vs. Cincinnati Bearcats

Sean Kilpatrick is one of the key players to handicap when making your against-the-spread picks Thursday night, as the Cincinnati Bearcats (12-0) prepare to host the New Mexico Lobos (12-1) at Fifth Third Arena, with the opening tip scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Sports bettors will find that the Bearcats are six-point home favorites in the current college basketball odds (courtesy of SBR Forum), while the total stands at 137 in the market.

Kilpatrick has scored in double figures in every game this season, which has played a major part in Cincinnati being one of just five undefeated teams nationally.

Let's take a closer look at this non-conference affair from a betting perspective while offering a prediction along the way.

The New Mexico Lobos will look to bounce back from their first loss of the year, as they suffered a 70-65 setback to South Dakota State as 15-point home favorites Saturday.

Sports bettors will find that the Lobos are 5-17 all time against Big East Conference opponents, which has played a major part in their 2-6 ATS record in that situation since 1997.

The Cincinnati Bearcats are one of the best defensive-minded teams in college basketball this year, as they rank second nationally in allowing opponents to shoot 34.6 percent from the field.

Sports bettors may jump at the opportunity of backing the Bearcats in this matchup, considering they've won 13 consecutive games at Fifth Third Arena by an average of 20.0 points.

I'm going to recommend that readers play the total in this non-conference affair, as the under is 20-9 in the Lobos' last 29 games following a straight-up loss, while the Bearcats have fallen short of the number in 14 of their last 16 home games when playing a team with a winning road record.

College Basketball Pick: Under 137

Follow Jeff Grant on Twitter