It will be a battle between Mountain West opponents when the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (16-13) welcome the Wyoming Cowboys (13-16) to Thomas & Mack Center. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 27 and will air on ES3.
The Runnin’ Rebels lost to Boise State 81-69 on Tuesday. Derrick Jones Jr. was the game’s high scorer, contributing 25 points. The Cowboys are coming off a 73-61 loss at the hands of San Diego State on Wednesday. Josh Adams had a game-high 27 points.
Over the last five games, Patrick McCaw has really been playing well for the Runnin’ Rebels. During that stretch, he has averaged 16.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.2 steals, and 2.2 three-pointers.
This game should be a battle of contrasting styles. The Runnin’ Rebels (ranked 14th in the nation in possessions per game) prefer a fast-breaking style of play, while the Cowboys (304th) are slow-paced. Also, the elite offense of the Cowboys ranks 30th in eFG% at 54.4%, while the Runnin’ Rebels are 32nd-best in the nation at forcing opponents’ misses (45.8%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Cowboys won the first game 59-57. Jason McManamen was a standout player in the game, producing 17 points, three rebounds, one assist, two steals, and five three-pointers.
The Runnin’ Rebels are attempting to build on their records of 16-13 Straight Up (SU) and 13-15 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 3-7 ATS. The Runnin’ Rebels are the 15th-best team in the country at taking the ball away from their opponents, averaging 8.3 steals per game.
On the other side, Wyoming has a SU record of 13-16 and an ATS record of 12-12-1. Wyoming has been particularly bad ATS over its past 10 matchups, going 3-7. Wyoming has been playing better lately, averaging 78.5 PPG, significantly more than their season average of 71.3. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Cowboys on the defensive end. They allowed 79.9 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 70.9.
Wyoming won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but UNLV still leads the head-to-head record, 7-3 SU, over their most recent matchups. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5. UNLV topped the Cowboys in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) once over the last five matchups. Wyoming has never had the edge in all three categories.
Predictions: SU Winner – UNLV, ATS Winner – UNLV
Notes
“UNLV is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of UNLV’s last 7 games “.
“UNLV is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games at home”.
“UNLV is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of UNLV’s last 7 games at home”.
“UNLV is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games when playing Wyoming”.
“UNLV is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Wyoming”.
Wyoming is struggling at 6-10 SU in its conference, while UNLV sits at 7-9 SU.
UNLV averages 81.2 points per home game (ranked 53rd). Wyoming allows 71.0 points per away game (ranked 68th).
UNLV averages 74.1 possessions per game, scoring 1.050 points on each possession. While Wyoming averages fewer possessions per game with 66.4, they score more points per possession with 1.074.
The Wyoming Cowboys average an effective field goal percentage of 54.4% this season. The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels have a winning 2-1 record in games where opponents have an eFG% of 54.4% or greater.
UNLV attempts an average of 22.0 three pointers per game and Wyoming attempts 26.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels have an 11-9 record while the Wyoming Cowboys have an 11-16 record.
The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels average 5.4 blocks per game, the 18th-ranked team in the country. The Wyoming Cowboys rank a lowly 262nd in blocking with just 2.7 per game.
Wyoming ranks 350th in offensive rebounds, while UNLV ranks at 60th in defensive rebounds.
UNLV has forced an average turnover percentage of 21.1% this season. Wyoming is an even 3-3 when its TO% is 21.1% or higher.
