Fresno State Bulldogs vs UNLV Runnin' Rebels Prediction, 2/26/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Fresno State Bulldogs vs UNLV Runnin' Rebels

Date: Friday, February 26, 2021

Location: Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Fresno State (+5.5)

The Fresno State Bulldogs (10-9) head to Thomas & Mack Center on Friday where they'll meet the UNLV Runnin' Rebels (10-12). UNLV opens this game as 5.5-point favorites. The total opens at 130.5.

Fresno State steps onto the court with a record of 10-9 for the year. They turn the ball over 14.4 times per game and as a squad they are committing 17.7 fouls per contest. As a unit, Fresno State is pulling down 36.4 rebounds per game and has totaled 194 assists for the season, which is 295th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Bulldogs are shooting 30.7% on shots from distance (120 of 391) and 64.9% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 66.3 points per outing (285th in the nation) while hitting 42.7% from the field. When they are on defense, the Bulldogs are forcing 13.4 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.9 fouls. The Bulldogs are giving up a FG percentage of 43.2% (450 of 1,041) and they concede 32.5 rebounds per game as a team. They are 81st in the country in giving up assists to their opponents with 207 relinquished for the season. They give up 33.9% on three-point shots and they are 97th in the country in opponents PPG (67.4).

The Fresno State Bulldogs faced off with the UNLV Runnin' Rebels and took home the win by a score of 67-64 in their last game. Fresno State walked away from the game having earned a 36.4% field goal percentage (20 out of 55) and buried 10 out of their 27 shots from distance. At the free throw line, the Bulldogs buried 17 of 23 shots for a rate of 73.9%. Regarding grabbing boards, they earned 29 with 8 of them being offensive. They also recorded 12 dimes for this game as well as forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and earning 4 steals. When discussing defense, Fresno State let their opponent shoot 44.8% from the field on 26 of 58 shooting. UNLV doled out 9 assists and had 4 steals in the game. Furthurmore, UNLV snagged 31 rebounds (8 offensive, 23 defensive) and earned 3 blocked shots. UNLV walked away from this one shooting 69.2% at the charity stripe by knocking down 9 of their 13 shots. They converted 3 out of their 15 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Isaiah Hill is one guy who came through in this matchup. He was able to score 19 points on 4 out of 9 shooting. He saw the court for 40 minutes and totaled 3 rebounds. Hill ended up shooting 44.4% from the floor and distributed 7 assists. One more player that was a determining factor in the matchup for the Bulldogs was Deon Stroud. He collected 7 rebounds in 31 minutes played on the night. He ended up going 61.5% from the floor for the matchup by hitting 8-of-13 (18 points). When the time ran out, Stroud accounted for 1 assist.

UNLV has a win-loss mark of 10-12 for the season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Runnin' Rebels are shooting 44.3% from the floor, which ranks 171st in college basketball. UNLV has accounted for 1,543 points for the season (70.1 per game) and they snag 36.8 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 13.1 times per game (184th in the country) and they are giving up possession 12.3 times per game. The Runnin' Rebels have committed 18.3 fouls per contest while shooting 69.6% from the charity stripe. The Runnin' Rebels on defense are ranked 94th in college basketball in PPG given up with 67.2. They are forcing their opponents into 12.1 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.5% from the floor (93rd in the nation). The UNLV defense concedes 36.4% on 3-point attempts (195 of 536) and opponents are converting on 72.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 13.5 assists and 32.7 boards on a nightly basis, ranking them 218th and 78th in those categories on the defensive end.

In their last game, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 67-64 when they faced the Fresno State Bulldogs. The Runnin' Rebels earned 23 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 31 in this contest. They also turned it over 7 times, while recording 4 steals for this game. The Bulldogs committed 16 personal fouls for this contest which took the Runnin' Rebels to the free throw line for a total of 13 shots. They were able to convert 9 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 69.2%. With regard to shots from distance, UNLV made 3 of 15 tries (20.0%). Overall, the Runnin' Rebels finished the game shooting 26 out of 58 from the field which had them sitting at 44.8%. The Runnin' Rebels permitted the Bulldogs to bury 20 of their 55 attempts from the field which had them shooting 36.4% for the contest. They finished the game shooting 37.0% from three-point range by hitting 10 out of 27 and finished the contest at 17 out of 23 at the free throw line (73.9%). When discussing cleaning up the glass, UNLV permitted Fresno State to grab 29 in all (8 on the offensive glass).

Bryce Hamilton was important for the Runnin' Rebels in this matchup. He made 11 out of 24 in the matchup giving him a rate of 45.8%, and had 6 rebounds. Hamilton scored 27 points in his 38 minutes on the court, but didn't record an assist. One more player that was pivotal for UNLV was Cheikh Mbacke Diong. He ended up walking away with 2 assists in his 36 mins on the hardwood, and he shot 7 out of 9 from the floor. Diong walked away from this one going 77.8% from the floor as well as totaling 16 points and 8 rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Fresno State (+5.5)

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