New Mexico Lobos vs UNLV Runnin' Rebels Prediction, 1/18/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: New Mexico Lobos vs UNLV Runnin' Rebels

Date: Monday, January 18, 2021

Location: Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV

TV: FS1

Odds/Point Spread: New Mexico (+12)

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels (3-6) play the New Mexico Lobos (4-7) at Thomas & Mack Center on Monday. The line on this matchup has UNLV as 12-point favorites. The O/U has been set at 138.

New Mexico will play this contest with a win-loss record of 4-7 so far this year. The Lobos are shooting 26.5% on shots beyond the perimeter (49 of 185) and 61.8% from the charity stripe. They average 65.1 pts per contest (299th in the nation) while hitting 39.4% from the field. They turn it over 14.1 times per game and as a team they are committing 16.9 fouls per contest. As a unit, New Mexico is collecting 39.6 boards per game and has totaled 124 dimes for the season, which ranks 249th in D-1 in terms of passing. When they are on defense, the Lobos are forcing 12.7 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.6 fouls. The Lobos defense is giving up a FG percentage of 43.7% (286 of 655) and they surrender 35.8 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are currently ranked 261st in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 168 conceded this season. They surrender 35.6% on 3-pointers and they are 238th in D-1 in points per game allowed (72.8).

The New Mexico Lobos took the court against the Runnin' Rebels and took a loss by a final of 77-54 in their last game. New Mexico ended the contest having earned a 33.3% field goal percentage (17 of 51) and made 3 out of their 18 3-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Lobos converted 17 of their 23 attempts for a percentage of 73.9%. With respect to pulling down rebounds, they compiled a total of 28 with 10 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 13 assists in the game as well as having 4 steals and 2 blocked shots. In relation to defending, New Mexico allowed the other team to shoot 33.3% from the floor on 17 out of 51 shooting. UNLV earned 18 assists and had 8 steals in the matchup. On top of that, the Runnin' Rebels snagged 32 rebounds (8 offensive, 24 defensive) and added 2 blocked shots. UNLV finished 75.0% from the charity stripe by knocking down 9 of their 12 tries. They knocked down 10 of their 27 tries from 3-point land.

Makuach Maluach is a guy who was a major factor for this game. He ended up scoring 13 points on 4 out of 15 shooting. He played 30 minutes and also collected 2 rebounds. Maluach ended up shooting 26.7% from the field and also dished out 2 assists. Someone else that was a major factor in the matchup for the Lobos was Valdir Manuel. He grabbed 4 boards and earned 2 assists. He finished shooting 50.0% from the floor in this contest by shooting 5-of-10 (10 points). When this game wrapped up, Manuel saw the court for 25 minutes.

UNLV has a win-loss record of 3-6 so far this year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Runnin' Rebels are shooting 45.6% from the floor, which has them ranked 125th in the country. UNLV has 667 points this year (74.1 per game) and they grab 35.2 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 13.8 times per game (155th in the nation) and they are losing possession via turnover 12.6 times per game. The Runnin' Rebels have committed 20.0 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 69.2% from the charity stripe. The Runnin' Rebels on the defensive side of the court are 187th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 70.6. The UNLV defense concedes 36.4% on shots from beyond the arc (80 of 220) and their opponents are connecting on 75.7% of their free throw shots. They have relinquished 14.0 assists and 32.4 rebounds per game, which is ranked 245th and 77th in those categories. They are forcing 13.3 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.7% from the field (172nd in the nation).

In the win against New Mexico, the Runnin' Rebels were able to snag 24 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards for a total of 32 in this game. They blocked 2 attempts while earning 8 steals for the matchup. The Lobos had 18 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Runnin' Rebels to the charity stripe for a total of 12 attempts. They were able to knock down 9 of the free throws for a percentage of 75.0%. In relation to shooting from distance, UNLV converted 10 of 27 tries (37.0%). Overall, the Runnin' Rebels went 29 out of 57 from the floor which gave them a rate of 50.9%. The Runnin' Rebels allowed the Lobos to convert 17 out of their 51 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 33.3% in the game. They finished 16.7% from three-point range by going 3 of 18 and walked away from this one shooting 17 out of 23 from the free throw line (73.9%). With respect to cleaning up the glass, UNLV allowed New Mexico to grab 28 in all (10 on the offensive glass).

Cheikh Mbacke Diong was important for the Runnin' Rebels for this game. He made 9 out of 11 for this game giving him a rate of 81.8%, which got him 20 points. Diong collected 6 rebounds in his 32 mins played and had 2 dimes in the matchup. Someone else who came through for UNLV was Bryce Hamilton. He was able to score 19 points in 34 minutes on the court by going 7 of 14 from the floor in the game. Hamilton walked away from this one going 50.0% from the field while earning 7 assists and 8 boards.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UNLV (-12)

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