UNLV vs Fresno State 1/14/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Fresno State Bulldogs will travel to the Thomas & Mack Center to take on the UNLV Rebels this Friday night in College Basketball action.

The Fresno State Bulldogs improved to 11-4 on the season after defeating the San Jose State Spartans, 79-59, this past Tuesday night. Fresno State led by a 39-28 margin at halftime and had no trouble pulling away for the victory after taking a 55-36 lead with 14:12 left in regulation. Fresno State shot 52.5% from the field & 37.5% from beyond the arc while allowing San Jose State to shoot 42.0%from the field & 36.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Orlando Robinson who had a double-double with 31 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, & 2 steals.

On the season, Fresno State is averaging 66.6 ppg on 44.4% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs are averaging 6.3 three-pointers per game on 31.0% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Fresno State has been led by Orlando Robinson (19.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.2 spg, 1.5 bpg), Anthony Holland (8.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.5 apg), Isaiah Hill (8.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.9 apg), & Jordan Campbell (7.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.1 apg).

Defensively, Fresno State is holding their opponents to an average of 55.9 ppg on 39.5% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs have a rebound margin of 5.3 and a turnover margin of 3.4.

The UNLV Rebels improved to 9-6 on the season after defeating the New Mexico Lobos, 85-56, this past Tuesday. UNLV was lights out on the defensive end against New Mexico and was able to pull away in the 2^nd half after taking a 54-36 lead with 15:19 left in regulation. UNLV shot 45.2% from the field & 28.6% from beyond the arc while holding New Mexico to just 34.5% shooting from the field & 22.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Rebels was Donovan Williams who had 29 points, 2 rebounds, & 1 assist.

On the season, UNLV is averaging 71.3 ppg on 41.9% shooting from the field. The Rebels are averaging 7.7 three-pointers per game on 31.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, UNLV has been led by Bryce Hamilton (18.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.1 spg), Donovan Williams (13.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.1 apg), Royce Hamm Jr. (9.0 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 1.0 bpg), & Jordan McCabe (6.6 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.1 spg).

Defensively, UNLV is holding their opponents to an average of 65.6 ppg on 40.1% shooting from the field. The Rebels have a rebound margin of -0.2 and a turnover margin of 1.7.  

The Bulldogs are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games & 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games against UNLV. The Rebels are 5-10 ATS in their last 15 games & 5-12 ATS in their last 17 games vs. Mountain West opponents.

The Bulldogs have been led by their defense which comes into this game ranked 4^th in scoring defense & 47^th in defensive FG%, however, the Bulldogs can struggle to put points up on the board and currently rank just 290^th in scoring offense & 167^th in FG%. UNLV is also led by their defense which ranks 99^th in scoring defense & 61^st in defensive FG% but have issues offensively as the Rebels rank just 285^th in FG%, & 279^th in 3P-FG%.

Fresno State has had a ton of success in this matchup in recent years, however, it’s hard not to be impressed by UNLV recently as the Rebels are coming off an impressive win at New Mexico and had a competitive road loss against a very good San Diego State just two weeks ago. UNLV has a defense that should be able to give Frenso State some trouble and as the Bulldogs are just 1-4 on the road this season, I think the play here is to take UNLV and the point.