It will be a battle between Conference USA opponents when the UTEP Miners (15-11) welcome the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (7-16) to Don Haskins Center. The game begins at 9:05 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 18.
The Miners were victorious over Florida Atlantic 89-82 the last time they played. Lee Moore was the team’s leading scorer with 17 points on 5-for-11 shooting. The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, are coming off an ugly 76-54 loss at the hands of Middle Tennessee in their last outing. Michael Ramey recorded 12 points, one steal, and one rebound.
Over the last five games, Moore and Dominic Artis have been better than usual for the Miners. During that stretch, Moore has averaged 17.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.2 three-pointers. Not to be outdone, Artis has put up 16.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 three-pointers.
It will be a showdown of conflicting tempos, as the fast-breaking Miners (ranked 29th in the nation in possessions per game) will look to push the slow-paced Golden Eagles (341st in possessions per game).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Golden Eagles won the first game 71-58. Moore was a top player in the game with 18 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and three three-pointers.
The Miners come into this game 15-11 Straight Up (SU) and 12-9-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Miners have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 65.6 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 77.0 points per game. UTEP is one of the best passing teams in the nation with an average of 15.7 assists per game. The Miners do a great job keeping their opponents off of the glass and limiting second-chance points. They average 27.7 defensive rebounds per game, which ranks 45th in Division I.
Across the court, the Golden Eagles fare well ATS, sitting at 12-8. However, they are only 7-16 SU. Most recently, Southern Miss is 7-3 ATS over the last 10 games. Offensively, the Golden Eagles have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 61.7 points per game by averaging 79.3 during that stretch. The Golden Eagles are one of the top defensive teams on the road, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of 65.7 points allowed per away game.
The Golden Eagles’ win over UTEP in their last clash brought their SU record in their most recent games to 7-3. Additionally, Southern Miss holds the advantage ATS with a record of 7-3. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, UTEP and Southern Miss each held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last five meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – UTEP, ATS Winner – UTEP
Notes
The UTEP Miners average 77.0 points per game, ranking 79th in the nation. The Southern Miss Golden Eagles rank 75th in points allowed with 68.0.
In its last game, Southern Miss lost by a margin of 22 points. UTEP is 5-1 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Southern Miss has a 0-6 record in blowouts.
The UTEP Miners average a field goal percentage of 45.5% this season. The Southern Miss Golden Eagles are a winless 0-4 when opponents have a FG% of 45.5% or greater.
The UTEP Miners rank higher based on their field goal percentage (103rd) than their effective field goal percentage (140th). The Southern Miss Golden Eagles rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (273rd) than their field goal percentage (331st).
UTEP ranks 49th in assists, registering 15.7 per game. Southern Miss performs worse at 286th with 11.7 assists per game.
Southern Miss ranks 333rd in offensive rebounds, while UTEP ranks at 45th in defensive rebounds.
UTEP has forced an average turnover percentage of 20.3% this season. Southern Miss has an abysmal 3-9 record when its TO% is 20.3% or higher.
