UNLV Rebels vs Air Force Falcons Prediction, 12/31/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UNLV Rebels vs Air Force Falcons

Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Location: Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, CO

TV: ESPN+

The UNLV Rebels (7-5) are hitting the road to Clune Arena on Tuesday where they will try to beat the Air Force Falcons (3-9).

The UNLV Rebels took the court against Fresno State and walked away with a win by a score of 87-77 in their last game. UNLV wrapped up the contest having earned a 53.8% field goal percentage (35 of 65) and made 10 out of their 24 shots from downtown. At the charity stripe, the Rebels buried 7 of 9 tries for a percentage of 77.8%. With respect to getting rebounds, they collected a total of 38 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 19 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing the opposition into 9 turnovers and getting 5 steals. When it comes to the defense, UNLV let their opponent shoot 46.6% from the field on 27 out of 58 shooting. Fresno State doled out 19 dimes and had 7 steals for the contest. Additionally, Fresno State pulled down 26 rebounds (6 offensive, 20 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. Fresno State ended up going 62.5% from the free throw line by making 10 of 16 shots. They also knocked down 13 of 29 attempts from beyond the arc. In the matter of personal fouls, the Rebels left the arena with 15 while Fresno State accumulated 15 personal fouls.

Dedan Thomas Jr. is someone who played a role in this contest. He scored 21 points on 9 of 17 shooting. He saw the court for 38 mins but didn't pull down any rebounds. He finished the game shooting 52.9% from the floor and also distributed 6 assists.

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UNLV will enter this contest with a win-loss mark of 7-5 this year. They are averaging 72.8 points per contest (256th in D-1) while hitting 45.2% from the floor. The Rebels are hitting 36.9% on shots from beyond the arc (90 of 244) and 73.9% from the free throw line. As a team, UNLV is grabbing 33.3 boards per game and has earned 159 assists so far this year, which is 283rd in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. They cough up possession 10.4 times per contest and as a group they are committing 16.1 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Rebels are forcing their opponents into 12.8 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.6 fouls. They are giving up 35.0% on three-point shots while they are 155th in the nation in PPG allowed (70.2). The Rebels defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 43.0% (293 of 682) and they concede 35.8 boards per game as a squad. They rank 252nd in D-1 in giving up assists with 182 surrendered on the campaign.

For their last game, the Air Force Falcons went home defeated by a final of 77-59 when they played Boise State. Concerning how they rebounded, Air Force allowed Boise State to grab 25 in all (7 on the offensive glass). They shot 23.1% from behind the 3-point line by going 3 of 13 and finished the contest at 16 out of 21 at the free throw line (76.2%). The Falcons permitted Boise State to bury 29 of their 54 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 53.7% for the game. When this game wrapped up, the Falcons finished 23 out of 42 from the floor which had them shooting 54.8%. With regard to shooting from distance, Air Force converted 7 out of their 15 attempts (46.7%). They were able to convert 6 of those for a clip of 46.2%. Boise State was called for 16 personal fouls for the game which got the Falcons to the free throw line for a total of 13 tries. They also gave up possession 17 times, while earning 4 steals in this game. The Falcons were able to corral 15 defensive rebounds and 3 offensive rebounds totaling 18 in this matchup.

Luke Kearney was important for the Falcons for the matchup. He scored 16 points in his 28 minutes on the hardwood and tallied 2 assists for the matchup. He made 6 of 10 in this matchup for a rate of 60.0%, and added 1 rebound.

Air Force has a mark of 3-9 for the season. As an offensive team, the Falcons are connecting on 47.5% from the floor, which ranks them 82nd in Division 1. Air Force has 788 pts so far this year (65.7 per contest) and they grab 29.4 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 14.3 times per game (183rd in the country) and they lose possession via turnover 12.8 times per contest. The Falcons are responsible for committing 17.4 fouls every game and they shoot 61.8% from the charity stripe.

The Falcons on the defensive end are ranked 136th in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 69.4. They have forced 10.8 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 45.8% from the floor (305th in college hoops). The Air Force defense gives up 34.8% on three-point shots (81 of 233) and their opponents are converting on 72.0% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 12.3 dimes and 32.4 boards per game, which is ranked 129th and 86th in college hoops.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take UNLV

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