Air Force Falcons vs UNLV Runnin' Rebels Prediction, 3/8/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Air Force Falcons vs UNLV Runnin' Rebels

Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Location: Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise, NV

TV: ESPN+

Thomas & Mack Center is where the UNLV Runnin' Rebels (18-12) will compete against the Air Force Falcons (14-17) on Wednesday.

The Air Force Falcons took the court against San Jose State and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 63-61 in their last contest. When it comes to fouls, the Falcons finished with 15 and San Jose State totaled 17 fouls. They made 7 out of their 24 shots from three-point range. San Jose State finished the game at 46.2% from the free throw line by knocking down 6 of 13 attempts. Additionally, San Jose State pulled down 34 rebounds (9 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. San Jose State doled out 6 dimes and had 4 steals for this contest. When it comes to defense, Air Force let their opponent shoot 47.2% from the floor on 25 out of 53 shooting. They also recorded 13 assists for this contest as well as forcing the opposition into 12 turnovers and getting 6 steals. With respect to hauling in rebounds, they earned 34 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Falcons converted 9 of 14 attempts for a rate of 64.3%. Air Force wrapped up the contest having earned a 39.7% FG percentage (23 out of 58) and converted 6 out of their 22 3-pointers.

Carter Murphy is a guy who came through for the contest. He ended up walking away with 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting. He saw the court for 33 minutes and collected 3 rebounds. He finished 58.3% from the field and distributed 3 assists.

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Air Force heads into this matchup with a win-loss record of 14-17 so far this year. They are averaging 66.8 pts per game (305th in Division 1) on 46.5% from the field. The Falcons are shooting 35.6% on three-point shots (253 of 710) and 71.5% from the charity stripe. As a team, Air Force is pulling down 29.3 boards per contest and has accounted for 477 dimes for the year, which ranks 49th in the country in terms of passing. They are turning it over 12.1 times per contest and as a team are committing 16.9 fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Falcons are able to force 10.9 turnovers per game and they draw 16.9 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 19th in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 309 relinquished this season. The Falcons defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 44.5% (739 of 1,659) and they surrender 32.3 boards per game as a group. They give up 29.0% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 81st in the nation in PPG allowed (66.7).

The last time they took the court, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels took home the win by a final score of 69-67 when they played Nevada. In regard to how they rebounded, UNLV permitted Nevada to pull down 39 overall (7 on the offensive side). They finished 16.7% from 3-point land by hitting 2 of 12 and ended up going 23 out of 35 at the free throw line (65.7%). The Runnin' Rebels permitted Nevada to make 21 of their 54 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 38.9% in this matchup. When the game finished, the Runnin' Rebels finished shooting 26 for 72 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 36.1%. In reference to shots from downtown, UNLV buried 9 of their 34 attempts (26.5%). They were able to convert 8 of the free throws for a rate of 72.7%. Nevada was called for 18 personal fouls in this game which took the Runnin' Rebels to the charity stripe for 11 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 8 times, while getting 7 steals in this matchup. The Runnin' Rebels earned 30 defensive boards and 14 offensive boards for a total of 44 for this game.

Elijah Harkless ended up being a factor for the Runnin' Rebels in this matchup. He knocked down 10 out of 22 for the contest giving him a field goal percentage of 45.5%, and had 8 rebounds. He earned 24 points in his 28 mins on the hardwood and tallied 4 assists for the contest.

UNLV has a win-loss record of 18-12 for the season. On the offensive side of the court, the Runnin' Rebels are shooting 43.2% from the floor, which is 268th in the country. UNLV has 2,222 pts on the season (74.1 per game) and they grab 33.8 boards per game. They are earning an assist 12.7 times per game (219th in the country) and they are turning it over 12.3 times per contest. The Runnin' Rebels have committed 16.8 fouls every game while shooting 72.5% from the charity stripe.

The UNLV defense gives up 35.4% on shots from behind the 3-point line (262 of 741) and their opponents are connecting on 72.4% of their free throw attempts. They have allowed 14.1 dimes and 36.4 boards on a nightly basis, ranking them 282nd and 312th in D-1. The Runnin' Rebels on the defensive end are ranked 158th in college hoops in points allowed per game with 69.5. They are forcing 17.8 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 43.6% from the field (173rd in the nation).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Air Force

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