The UTEP Miners (16-11) bring the regular season to an end at Don Haskins Center as they host the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (20-6). The game gets underway at 6:00 pm ET on Saturday, Feb. 20 and will air on CCS.
The Miners come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, defeating Southern Miss 78-73 on Thursday. Dominic Artis was the game’s leading scorer with 18 points on 6-for-13 shooting. The Bulldogs are coming off an 87-74 win over Texas San Antonio on Thursday. Alex Hamilton led the game in scoring by posting 25 points on 10-for-11 shooting.
Over the last five games, Lee Moore has taken his game to another level for the Miners, averaging 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.8 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Bulldogs won the first game 78-70. Artis had a double-double in the loss with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
The Miners are hoping to build on their records of 16-11 Straight Up (SU) and 12-10-1 Against The Spread (ATS). UTEP has the 46th-most assists in Division I, averaging 15.7 per game. The Miners do a great job keeping their opponents off of the glass and limiting second-chance points. They average 27.6 defensive rebounds per game, which ranks 45th in Division I.
As for their opponent, the Bulldogs head into the game with records of 9-9 ATS and 20-6 SU. They sport the 39th-ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 79.3 points per game. The last 10 games have really brought the worst out of the Bulldogs on the defensive end. They allowed 78.1 points per game during that span, which is higher than their season average of 70.3. Teams seem to consistently miss three-point shots against the Bulldogs, who are the 17th-best team in the country in terms of three-point field goal percentage allowed at .304. The Bulldogs are a terror on the defensive glass, averaging an impressive 27.5 defensive rebounds per game.
In their previous meeting this season, Louisiana Tech beat UTEP, but the win was not enough to overtake UTEP in the head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5.
Predictions: SU Winner – LaTech, ATS Winner – LaTech
Notes
“Texas El Paso is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Texas El Paso is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Texas El Paso’s last 5 games “.
“Texas El Paso is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 5 of Texas El Paso’s last 6 games at home”.
“Texas El Paso is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Louisiana Tech”.
“Texas El Paso is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Louisiana Tech”.
UTEP averages 77.1 points per game (ranked 80th). Louisiana Tech, on the other hand, allows 70.3 points per game (ranked 121st).
Louisiana Tech scores 75.7 points per away game (ranked 44th). UTEP ranks a poor 182nd in points allowed at home, allowing 71.1 points.
UTEP averages 73.0 possessions per game, scoring 1.056 points on each possession. While Louisiana Tech averages fewer possessions per game with 72.9, they score more points per possession with 1.087.
UTEP has an average effective field goal percentage of 51.4%. Louisiana Tech is a losing 2-4 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, UTEP attempts 19.0 three pointers and Louisiana Tech attempts 21.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the UTEP Miners are 5-6 while the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs have an outstanding 15-4 record.
UTEP ranks 74th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.24. Louisiana Tech is ranked lower at 159th with an A/TO of 1.08.
Louisiana Tech, the 64th-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 38.8 rebounds per game. UTEP does worse, ranked 133rd with 37.1.
Louisiana Tech ranks 136th in offensive rebounds, while UTEP ranks at 45th in defensive rebounds.
On average, UTEP forces a turnover rate of 20.3%. When Louisiana Tech turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a superb 6-1 record.
