Conference USA foes will lock horns when the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (15-5) play the UTEP Miners (11-10) at Thomas Assembly Center. Action begins at 4:00 pm ET on Sunday, Jan. 31 and can be seen on FSN.
The Bulldogs enter this game hoping for similar success after topping Texas San Antonio 85-75 on Thursday. Alex Hamilton was a key piece, recording his fourth double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 assists. The Miners, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 71-58 loss against Southern Miss on Thursday. Lee Moore had a game-high 18 points.
Dayon Griffin has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Bulldogs. During that stretch, he has averaged 16.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 2.6 three-pointers.
Louisiana Tech is a nine-point favorite against UTEP and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 149 points. The Bulldogs have gone 15-5 Straight Up (SU) and 5-7 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a solid 7-3 SU record over their last 10 games, but have not fared as well ATS (2-5). The rebounding edge goes to the Bulldogs in this matchup, who are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 39.6 boards per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, the Bulldogs prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking 44th in the nation with 123 total three-pointers allowed (6.0 per game).
Over on the other bench, the Miners have 11-10 SU and 7-9-1 ATS records. The UTEP defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only .400 shooting from the field to its opponents. Defensive rebounding is an area where UTEP has excelled. The Miners average 28.0 defensive rebounds per game, making them one of the best in the nation.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between the conference foes. Their previous game was a Bulldogs victory, but the win was not enough to overtake UTEP in the head-to-head series. Their record is now 4-6 SU. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – LaTech, ATS Winner – UTEP, O/U – Over
Notes
Louisiana Tech is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games.
Louisiana Tech is 15-5 SU in its last 20 games.
Louisiana Tech is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games at home.
Louisiana Tech is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Texas El Paso.
UTEP is struggling at 3-5 SU in its conference, while Louisiana Tech sits at 4-3 SU.
Louisiana Tech scores 82.7 points per home game (ranked 57th). UTEP ranks a poor 231st in points allowed on the road, allowing 77.5 points.
The UTEP Miners have a defensive rating of 97.5 (ranked 67th), while the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs have an offensive rating of 108.5 (ranked 110th).
On average, Louisiana Tech has 72.8 possessions per game and scores 1.085 points on each possession. UTEP has both fewer possessions (72.5) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.021).
UTEP has an average effective field goal percentage of 49.7%. Louisiana Tech is an even 3-3 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Louisiana Tech attempts 22.0 three pointers and UTEP attempts 19.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs have a stellar 13-4 record while the UTEP Miners have a poor 3-6 record.
UTEP ranks 76th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.23. Louisiana Tech is ranked lower at 101st with an A/TO of 1.18.
Louisiana Tech, the 50th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 39.6 rebounds per game. UTEP does worse, ranked 131st with 37.4.
UTEP ranks 299th in offensive rebounds, while Louisiana Tech ranks at 40th in defensive rebounds.
Opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 20.4% when playing UTEP this season. Louisiana Tech is undefeated this season (3-0) when its TO% is 20.4% or higher.
