The New Mexico Lobos (10-6), the Mountain West’s top shooting team, will go head-to-head against the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (9-7) at Thomas & Mack Center. Action begins at 10:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Jan. 12 and will air on CCS.
The Runnin’ Rebels are hoping for a better outcome after their 59-57 loss to Wyoming on Saturday. Ike Nwamu played well for UNLV, contributing 10 points and three rebounds. The Lobos are coming off a 77-59 win over Utah State on Saturday. Tim Williams was the game’s top scorer, recording 21 points on 9-for-13 shooting.
It could be a mistake-prone game for the New Mexico offense, which ranks 323rd in the nation in ball security (TO% of 21.6%). It’ll be facing the gambling UNLV defense, which forces the 11th-most turnovers in the nation (23.7%).
UNLV is a five-point favorite against New Mexico and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is 142 points. The Runnin’ Rebels have gone 9-7 Straight Up (SU) and 7-8 Against The Spread (ATS). The Runnin’ Rebels are the 21st-best team in the country at taking the ball away from their opponents, averaging 8.7 steals per game.
On the other side, New Mexico has a SU record of 10-6 and an ATS record of 8-5. The Lobos are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with a .737 free throw percentage that ranks 35th in Division I. Shifting to the other side of the court, the Lobos have one of the best opponent three-point field goal percentages in the country at .309.
UNLV and New Mexico meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. UNLV won the last game in the matchup, but New Mexico still leads the head-to-head record over their most recent games, 6-4 SU. Additionally, New Mexico leads the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. New Mexico held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once, while UNLV was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – UNLV, ATS Winner – NM, O/U – Over
Notes
UNLV is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of UNLV’s last 14 games.
UNLV is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of UNLV’s last 7 games at home.
UNLV is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing New Mexico.
UNLV is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games when playing at home against New Mexico.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of UNLV’s last 9 games when playing at home against New Mexico.
New Mexico is a perfect 3-0 SU against conference rivals, while UNLV is a winless 0-3 SU against its foes.
New Mexico won its last game by an 18-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, UNLV is 5-0. New Mexico is 5-2 in blowouts this season.
New Mexico beats UNLV in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Lobos average 73.5 possessions and 1.053 points per possession, while the Runnin’ Rebels average 72.1 possessions with 1.045 points per possession.
New Mexico has an average effective field goal percentage of 52.7%. UNLV is a winning 2-1 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels attempt 20.0 three point field goals per game and the New Mexico Lobos attempt 17.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, UNLV has a 5-4 record and New Mexico has a 3-2 record.
UNLV ranks 28th in blocks per game with 5.4 and New Mexico ranks 99th with 4.2 blocks per game.
UNLV ranks 21st in steals per game with 8.7. When New Mexico gives up 8 or more steals, the team has an even 4-4 record.
