It will be a battle between Mountain West opponents when the Nevada Wolf Pack (11-7) welcome the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (12-7) to Lawlor Events Center. Action begins at 10:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 23 and can be seen on ESU and ES3.
The Wolf Pack enter this game hoping for similar success after defeating Wyoming 75-69 on Wednesday. Tyron Criswell played a pivotal role, recording his second double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Runnin’ Rebels, meanwhile, are coming off an 80-68 win against Utah State on Tuesday. Derrick Jones Jr. led the game in scoring with 21 points on 10-for-15 shooting.
UNLV takes on Nevada as a four-point favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is 151 points. While the Wolf Pack have a good Straight Up (SU) record (11-7), they’ve been poor Against The Spread (ATS) with a 6-10 record. Over their last 10 games, they have only managed a record of 2-7 ATS. Nevada has gotten to the free throw line often this season. They average 18 made free throws per game, which is 38th-best in Division I. Expect to see a lot of second-chance opportunities for Nevada in this matchup, which is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 13.1 offensive boards per game. Nevada’s defense can be considered one of the best in the country. The Wolf Pack allow a .393 opponent field-goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the country.
Over on the other bench, the Runnin’ Rebels have 12-7 SU and 10-8 ATS records. The Runnin’ Rebels allow just 67.9 points per road game, ranking them 44th in the nation. When it comes to defending the rim, the Runnin’ Rebels are one of the best in the nation with an average of 5.7 blocks per game.
These conference rivals meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. UNLV won the last game in the matchup, bringing its SU record in their most recent games to 7-3. The Wolf Pack lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. UNLV held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Nevada never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – UNLV, ATS Winner – Nevada, O/U – Over
Notes
Nevada is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games.
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Nevada’s last 9 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nevada’s last 5 games at home.
Nevada is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nevada’s last 6 games when playing UNLV.
Nevada is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against UNLV.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Nevada’s last 5 games when playing at home against UNLV.
The Nevada Wolf Pack average 78.1 points per game, ranking 83rd in the nation. The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels rank 64th in points allowed with 66.6.
Nevada scores just 81.0 points per home game (ranked 104th). UNLV ranks 44th in points allowed on the road, giving up 67.9 points.
Nevada averages 73.4 possessions per game, scoring 1.064 points on each possession. While UNLV averages fewer possessions per game with 72.1, they score more points per possession with 1.074.
UNLV has an average effective field goal percentage of 51.6%. Nevada is an even 2-2 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Nevada Wolf Pack average 17.0 three point attempts per game and are 2-3 when attempting at least 20 in a game. The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels average 21.0 attempts and have a solid record (7-4) when attempting 20 or more.
Nevada ranks among the best in the nation in blocking at second (6.7 blocks per game). UNLV is ranked 12th with 5.7 blocks per game.
Nevada ranks 46th in offensive rebounding. UNLV ranks 106th in defensive rebounding.
On average, the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels make 8.3 steals per game. The Nevada Wolf Pack are winless at 0-5 when they give up 8 or more steals.
