The Sam Houston State Bearkats head to Don Haskins Center to take on the UTEP Miners. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 22.
The Miners lost to Norfolk State 85-76 on Monday. Dominic Artis was the team’s high scorer, recording 18 points. The Bearkats are coming off a 63-53 loss against UC Irvine on Monday. Aurimas Majauskas led the team in scoring with 16 points.
Second-chance points might be scarce for the Miners in this matchup. They rank 315th in the nation in offensive rebounding (OR% of 25.1%), while Sam Houston State is fourth-best in the nation on the defensive glass (DR% of 78.3%).
UTEP is a four-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 137 points. The Miners are attempting to build on their records of 6-5 Straight Up (SU) and 3-5 Against The Spread (ATS).
Across the court, the Bearkats head into the game with records of 0-1-1 ATS and 5-6 SU. The Bearkats are a force on the offensive glass, grabbing an average of 13.8 offensive rebounds per game. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Bearkats. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the country at 1.38.
Predictions: SU Winner – SamHou, ATS Winner – SamHou, O/U – Over
Notes
The UTEP Miners average 73.6 possessions per game and 1.014 points per possession, while the Sam Houston State Bearkats earn fewer possessions (72.8) but more points per possession (1.041).
The UTEP Miners average an effective field goal percentage of 49.0% this season. The Sam Houston State Bearkats have a losing record of 1-4 when opponents have an eFG% of 49.0% or greater.
Sam Houston State ranks 40th in assists, recording 16.9 per game. UTEP performs worse at 110th with 14.7 assists per game.
Sam Houston State, the 60th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 40.5 rebounds per game. UTEP does worse, ranked 227th with 36.1.
On average, UTEP makes 5.8 steals per game. Sam Houston State is a losing 1-4 when it gives up at least 5 steals.
