The Texas San Antonio Roadrunners (5-25) visit UTEP to play the Miners (17-13) in what should be a fast-paced game. Action starts at 4:00 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 5.
The Miners lost to Charlotte 88-78 in their last game. Lee Moore finished with 16 points to lead the team. The Roadrunners, meanwhile, are coming off a deflating 78-56 loss to Old Dominion in their last outing. Texas San Antonio lost despite the best efforts of Christian Wilson, who recorded his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 assists.
There should be plenty of transition action in this game. UTEP ranks 34th in the nation in possessions per game (72.8 possessions per game), while Texas San Antonio is 25th (73.3).
This is the second game of the season between these two teams, with the Roadrunners winning the first matchup 71-67. Wilson had a stellar game with 25 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two three-pointers.
The Miners come into this game 17-13 Straight Up (SU) and 13-12-1 Against The Spread (ATS). UTEP has left their fans wanting more on the defensive side recently. The Miners have given up an average of 85.3 points to opponents in their last 10 games, well over their defense’s season average of 74.4 PPG. An area where the Miners are particularly strong is defensive rebounding where they average 27.4 per game, 47th in Division I.
Across the court, the Roadrunners head into the game with records of 9-15 ATS and 5-25 SU. Texas San Antonio has been playing better lately, averaging 80.6 PPG, significantly more than their season average of 72.8.
The Roadrunners’ win over UTEP in their last clash wasn’t enough for them to overtake UTEP in their recent head-to-head series. Their record is now 2-4 SU over the most recent meetings. Furthermore, UTEP leads the matchup ATS with a record of 3-2. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers, neither team was able to hold the advantage in all three of these categories over their past five meetings against one another.
Predictions: SU Winner – UTEP, ATS Winner – UTEP
Notes
UTEP averages 76.8 points per game (ranked 79th). Texas San Antonio, on the other hand, allows 84.5 points per game (ranked 261st).
Texas San Antonio lost its last game by a 22-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, UTEP is 5-2. Texas San Antonio is 1-7 in blowouts this season.
UTEP has an average field goal percentage of 46.1%. Texas San Antonio is an underachieving 1-20 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the UTEP Miners attempt 19.0 three point field goals per game and the Texas San Antonio Roadrunners attempt 21.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, UTEP is 6-8, while Texas San Antonio has a subpar record of 4-17.
UTEP ranks 80th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.23. Texas San Antonio is ranked lower at 310th with an A/TO of .83.
The UTEP Miners average 5.7 steals per game. When giving up 5 or more steals, the Texas San Antonio Roadrunners have an underachieving record (5-16) this season.
