UC Riverside Highlanders vs UNLV Rebels Prediction, 12/21/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UC Riverside Highlanders vs UNLV Rebels

Date: Saturday, December 21, 2024

Location: Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV

TV: ESPN+

Thomas & Mack Center is the site where the UNLV Rebels (5-5) will attempt to beat the UC Riverside Highlanders (8-4) on Saturday.

The UC Riverside Highlanders stepped onto the hardwood against Montana State and went home with a win by a final score of 83-80 in their last contest. UC Riverside finished the contest having earned a 53.6% field goal percentage (30 out of 56) and converted 5 out of their 15 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the free throw line, the Highlanders made 18 of their 20 attempts for a rate of 90.0%. In relation to pulling down rebounds, they earned 32 with 6 of them being offensive. They also distributed 16 dimes for this contest while creating 3 turnovers and earning 2 steals. When talking about the defense, UC Riverside allowed their opponent to shoot 48.6% from the floor on 34 out of 70 shooting. Montana State doled out 18 assists and had 7 steals for the contest. In addition, Montana State collected 21 boards (5 offensive, 16 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Montana State ended up going 40.0% from the free throw line by making 2 of 5 shots. They also knocked down 10 of 26 shots from distance. Regarding personal fouls, the Highlanders walked away with 15 while Montana State totaled 15 personal fouls.

Barrington Hargress is one guy who was a major factor for this contest. He went 41.2% from the floor and also distributed 10 assists. He was on the hardwood for 35 mins and snagged 1 board. He notched 22 points on 7 out of 17 shooting.

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UC Riverside comes into this one with a record of 8-4 for the campaign. They turn it over 11.8 times per contest and as a unit they commit 17.8 fouls per contest. As a unit, UC Riverside is snagging 37.5 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 164 dimes for the year, which is 165th in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Highlanders are shooting 33.4% on three-point attempts (108 of 323) and 70.3% from the charity stripe. They average 73.1 points per game (241st in D-1) while hitting 42.7% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Highlanders are forcing 11.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.1 fouls. They are conceding 33.0% from 3-point land and they are 210th in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (72.3). The Highlanders defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 44.3% (316 of 713) and they surrender 35.1 rebounds per game as a team. They are ranked 315th in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 177 surrendered so far this season.

For their last game, the UNLV Rebels walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 66-65 when they played Dayton. Regarding attacking the glass, UNLV allowed Dayton to get 28 overall (5 on the offensive glass). They went 23.8% from distance by shooting 5 out of 21 and ended up shooting 13 out of 16 from the free throw line (81.3%). The Rebels permitted Dayton to bury 24 of 51 tries from the field which had them shooting 47.1% in this matchup. Overall, the Rebels finished 22 for 53 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 41.5%. With regard to 3-point attempts, UNLV knocked down 8 out of their 19 attempts (42.1%). They were able to bury 13 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 81.3%. Dayton earned 16 fouls in this matchup which got the Rebels to the free throw line for 16 attempts. They turned it over 6 times, while earning 4 steals for this game. The Rebels collected 22 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards totaling 30 for this game.

Dedan Thomas Jr. ended up being a major contributor for the Rebels for this contest. He knocked down 5 of 14 in this game for a field goal percentage of 35.7%, and earned 3 rebounds. He scored 16 points in his 39 minutes on the court and totaled 6 dimes in the matchup.

UNLV has a record of 5-5 so far this year. In terms of offensive execution, the Rebels are shooting 44.2% from the field, which has them ranked 225th in the country. UNLV has totaled 720 pts on the year (72.0 per contest) and they snag 32.3 rebounds per contest. They are getting an assist 12.6 times per contest (279th in college) and they are turning it over 10.6 times per game. The Rebels are responsible for committing 16.5 fouls per contest and they hit 74.0% from the free throw line.

The Rebels are ranked 186th in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 71.2. They are forcing their opponents into 12.9 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 44.3% from the floor (248th in college hoops). The UNLV defense gives up 35.3% on 3-point shots (78 of 221) and their opponents are making 71.8% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 15.1 dimes and 35.8 total boards per game, which has them ranked 310th and 249th in D-1.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take UNLV

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