UNLV vs San Diego State 1/1/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
San Diego State Aztecs (8-3) vs. UNLV Runnin' Rebels (8-5)
January 1, 2022 4:00 pm EDT
The Line: UNLV Runnin' Rebels +3 / San Diego State Aztecs -3; Over/Under: +131
(Get latest betting odds)
The San Diego State Aztecs and the UNLV Rebels meet in Mountain West college basketball action from the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday afternoon.
The San Diego State Aztecs will look to build on a 78-57 win over UC-San Diego last time out. Matt Bradley leads the Aztecs in scoring with 14.7 PPG along with 4.5 RPG while Trey Pulliam has 10.6 PPG with a team-high 3.9 APG as the only other double-digit scorer for San Diego State so far this season. Lamont Butler has 9.7 PPG while Nathan Mensah has 8.3 PPG and a team-high 8.3 RPG to lead the Aztecs on the glass. As a team, San Diego State is averaging 64.7 PPG on 42.5% shooting from the field, 33.2% from three and 66.7% from the foul line while allowing 58.5 PPG on 38.7% shooting from the field and 28.9% from three this season.
The UNLV Rebels will attempt to add to their four-game win streak after an 80-57 win over San Diego last time out. Bryce Hamilton leads the Rebels in scoring with 18.6 PPG while Donovan Williams has 12.5 PPG as the only other double-digit scorer for UNLV so far this season. Royce Hamm Jr. has 9.2 PPG with a team-high 9.9 RPG to lead the Rebels on the glass and Jordan McCabe is dishing out a team-high 5 APG as well this season. As a team, UNLV is averaging 71.5 PPG on 42.6% shooting from the field, 32.1% from downtown and 73.6% from the foul line while allowing 66.6 PPG on 41.1% shooting from the field and 33% from three this season.
San Diego State is 17-6 ATS in their last 23 road games and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS win while the under is 5-0 in their last 5 games against a team with a winning percentage above .600. UNLV is 1-5 ATS in their last 6 Saturday games and 8-19 ATS in their last 27 games overall while the over is 5-1 in their last 6 games overall.
I get the case that could be made either way but San Diego State, albeit stout offensively, has not had a ton of success away from home, losing both true road games and being suffocated by USC on a neutral floor. UNLV hasn’t been a world-beater by any means, but the Rebels by far play their best at home and have been playing fairly well as of late. I’ll take the points with UNLV if forced to pick this one.
