Mountain West foes will collide when the Utah State Aggies (11-6) face the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (11-7) at Dee Glen Smith Spectrum. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 19 and can be seen on ES3.
The Aggies enter this game hoping for similar success after topping Colorado State 96-92 on Saturday. Chris Smith played a pivotal role, recording his third double-double of the season with 35 points and 13 rebounds. The Runnin’ Rebels, meanwhile, are coming off a 100-64 win against Air Force on Saturday. Derrick Jones Jr. claimed his second double-double of the season with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
UNLV is a slim two-point favorite over Utah State. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently 143 points. The Aggies have gone 11-6 Straight Up (SU) and 6-8 Against The Spread (ATS).
Over on the other bench, the Runnin’ Rebels have records of 9-8 ATS and 11-7 SU. The Runnin’ Rebels allow just 67.9 points per road game, ranking them 39th in the nation. The Runnin’ Rebels are a terror in the passing lanes, averaging an impressive 8.3 steals per game.
The conference foes will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, UNLV came out on top, but the win was not enough to overtake UNLV in the head-to-head series. Its record is now 1-3 SU. The teams are even ATS, with a 2-2 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – UNLV, ATS Winner – UNLV, O/U – Over
Notes
Utah State is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Utah State’s last 7 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Utah State’s last 7 games at home.
Utah State is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing UNLV.
Utah State scores an average of just 73.1 points per game (ranked 188th). UNLV ranks 67th in points allowed, giving up 66.5 points per game.
Utah State scores just 74.6 points per home game (ranked 231st). UNLV ranks 39th in points allowed on the road, giving up 67.9 points.
UNLV won its last game by a 36-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Utah State is 4-2. UNLV is 6-0 in blowouts this season.
The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels average 72.1 possessions per game and 1.072 points per possession. The Utah State Aggies earn fewer possessions with 67.9, but they score more points with 1.077.
The Utah State Aggies average an effective field goal percentage of 51.0% this season. The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels have a winning 2-1 record in games where opponents have an eFG% of 51.0% or greater.
The Utah State Aggies average 22.0 three point attempts per game, and the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels attempt 21.0 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Utah State is 9-5 and UNLV is 7-4.
Utah State ranks 69th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.24. UNLV is ranked lower at 162nd with an A/TO of 1.07.
UNLV, the 91st-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 38.6 rebounds per game. Utah State does worse, ranked 170th with 36.8.
Though UNLV is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TO% of 22.8% (ranked 23rd), Utah State has a winning 2-1 record SU when it has a TO% of 22.8% or greater.
