The San Jose State Spartans will be at Thomas & Mack Center to take on the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels in a Mountain West matchup. The game begins at 10:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Feb. 10 and can be seen on ES3.
The Runnin’ Rebels are hoping for a better outcome after their 111-104 loss to Fresno State on Saturday. Patrick McCaw recorded 28 points and 16 rebounds, earning his first double-double of the year. The Spartans are coming off a 65-53 win against that same Fresno State squad on Wednesday. Brandon Clarke had a good performance, recording 14 points and 15 rebounds to claim his third double-double of the season.
Over the last five games, McCaw has really been playing well for the Runnin’ Rebels, averaging 17.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.0 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 2.8 three-pointers. On the other side, the Spartans have been led by Clarke. He has been hot, averaging 12.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.8 blocks in the same time frame.
The Runnin’ Rebels are hoping to build on their records of 13-11 Straight Up (SU) and 11-12 Against The Spread (ATS). They have been better ATS (8-2) than SU (3-7) over their last 10 games. The Runnin’ Rebels have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 67.8 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 77.5 points per game. Turning to the defensive end, the Runnin’ Rebels have limited opponents’ efforts from beyond the arc, allowing 5.0 three-pointers made per game. The Runnin’ Rebels are the 26th-best team in the country at taking the ball away from their opponents, averaging 8.1 steals per game.
As for their opponent, the Spartans have had some success covering the spread, going 15-7 ATS. They’ve struggled to get the wins though, holding a SU record of 8-15.
This is the first meeting of the season for UNLV and San Jose State. The last time they played, UNLV came out on top, moving its SU record against the Spartans to 3-0. Additionally, with a 3-0 record, UNLV has the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – UNLV, ATS Winner – UNLV
Notes
UNLV averages 77.5 points per game (ranked 70th). San Jose State, on the other hand, allows 74.0 points per game (ranked 188th).
The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels have a defensive rating of 95.1 (ranked 29th), while the San Jose State Spartans have an offensive rating of 102.8 (ranked 233rd).
UNLV has an average field goal percentage of 44.8%. San Jose State is a subpar 2-10 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, UNLV attempts 21.0 three pointers and San Jose State attempts 22.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels have an 8-7 record while the San Jose State Spartans have a losing 4-12 record.
The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels average 5.8 blocks per game, the 11th-ranked team in the country. The San Jose State Spartans rank a lowly 105th in blocking with just 4.0 per game.
San Jose State ranks 184th in offensive rebounds, while UNLV ranks at 87th in defensive rebounds.
UNLV has forced an average turnover rate of 21.3% this season. In games where its turnover rate is 21.3% or higher, San Jose State is an even 4-4.
