UTEP Miners vs UAB Blazers Prediction, 12/30/2021 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UTEP Miners vs UAB Blazers

Date: Thursday, December 30, 2021

Location: Bartow Arena in Birmingham, AL

TV: ESPN+

Bartow Arena is where the UAB Blazers (10-3) will take on the UTEP Miners (7-5) on Thursday.

The UTEP Miners stepped onto the hardwood against Bradley and ended up losing by a score of 73-66 in their last contest. UTEP finished having earned a 36.8% FG percentage (21 of 57) and made 6 out of their 19 shots from downtown. From the free throw line, the Miners buried 18 of 23 attempts for a percentage of 78.3%. In relation to hauling in boards, they collected 35 with 10 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 7 assists for this game as well as forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and having 8 steals. In terms of the defense, UTEP let their opponent shoot 41.8% from the floor on 23 of 55 shooting. Bradley doled out 7 assists and had 3 steals in the game. Furthermore, Bradley totaled 36 rebounds (8 offensive, 28 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Bradley shot 60.0% at the free throw line by burying 15 of 25 shots. They converted 12 out of their 29 tries from beyond the arc. In relation to fouls, the Miners walked away with 21 while Bradley finished the game with 20 fouls.

Keonte Kennedy is one guy who was a contributor in this contest. He walked away from this one shooting 50.0% from the field and also totaled 1 assist. He played for 34 minutes played and also snagged 5 rebounds. He accumulated 16 points on 6 of 12 shooting.

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UTEP will enter this matchup with a win-loss record of 7-5 on the campaign. They average 70.0 pts per contest (234th in the nation) while hitting 41.2% from the field. The Miners are shooting 32.3% on three-point attempts (86 of 266) and 75.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, UTEP is collecting 33.7 boards per contest and has earned 124 dimes this season, which is 311th in college hoops in terms of passing the rock. They turn it over 12.3 times per game and as a group are committing 19.3 fouls per game.

On the defensive end, the Miners are forcing 16.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.9 fouls. They are surrendering 36.4% on 3-point attempts and they are 107th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (65.1). The Miners defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 45.4% (277 of 610) and they relinquish 34.2 rebounds per contest as a group. They are 139th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 138 conceded so far this year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the UAB Blazers went home victorious with a score of 100-58 when they faced MVSU. The Blazers corralled 32 defensive boards and 13 offensive boards for a total of 45 for the matchup. They coughed up the ball 14 times, while earning 8 steals in this matchup. MVSU earned 23 personal fouls for the contest which got the Blazers to the charity stripe for 29 attempts. They were able to knock down 24 of them for a clip of 82.8%. With respect to shots from beyond the perimeter, UAB made 12 of 20 attempts (60.0%). When the game finished, the Blazers walked away from this one shooting 32 out of 68 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 47.1%. The Blazers allowed MVSU to make 22 out of 65 tries from the field which left them shooting 33.8% for the matchup. They finished 24.1% from distance via 7 out of 29 and finished the contest at 7 of 13 from the free throw line (53.8%). With respect to rebounding, UAB permitted MVSU to collect 29 overall (10 offensive).

Josh LeBlanc ended up being a factor for the Blazers in this game. He recorded 10 points in his 21 mins of playing time, but wasn't able to get an assist. He buried 3 out of 4 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 75.0%, and accounted for 9 rebounds.

UAB has a mark of 10-3 this season. The Blazers are committing 17.3 personal fouls every game and they shoot 69.7% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 14.1 times per game (141st in college basketball) and they are turning it over 11.6 times per game. UAB has accounted for 1,069 points for the campaign (82.2 per game) and they pull in 39.5 boards per game. As an offensive team, the Blazers are hitting on 46.3% from the field, which ranks 88th in the country.

The UAB defense concedes 33.5% on shots from distance (84 of 251) and opponents are converting on 68.9% of their free throw shots. They surrender 9.9 assists and 36.1 total rebounds per game, ranking them 39th and 243rd in college basketball. The Blazers defensively are ranked 41st in Division 1 in PPG allowed with 61.0. They are able to force 20.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 38.9% from the floor (44th in Division 1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UTEP

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