The Nevada Wolf Pack will travel to Dee Glen Smith Spectrum to take on the Utah State Aggies this Friday night in College Basketball action.
The Nevada Wolf Pack lost their 6th straight game and dropped to 9-13 on the season after being defeated by the Colorado State by an 82-72 margin this past Tuesday. Nevada had no answers on the defensive end for Colorado State and could not fight back after the Rams took a 57-41 lead with 12:57 left in regulation. Nevada shot 55.1% from the field & 37.5% from beyond the arc while allowing Colorado State to shoot 51.0% from the field & 45.5% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Wolf Pack was Desmond Cambridge Jr. who had 36 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, & 2 steals.
On the season, Nevada is averaging 72.0 ppg on 44.0% shooting from the field. The Wolf Pack are averaging 7.1 three-pointers per game on 32.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Nevada has been led by Grant Sherfield (17.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 6.3 apg), Desmond Cambridge Jr. (16.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.8 spg), Will Baker (11.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.0 apg), & Kenan Blackshear (8.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.1 spg).
Defensively, Nevada is allowing their opponents to average 74.9 ppg on 44.0% shooting from the field. The Wolf Pack have a rebound margin of 0.4 and a turnover margin of -1.1.
The Utah State Aggies had their 5-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 15-10 on the season after being defeated by the Wyoming Cowboys, 78-76 (OT), this past Tuesday. Wyoming was able to force OT after hitting two game-tying FT’s with just :16 seconds left in regulation and the Cowboys escaped with the victory after Graham Ike made a game-winning layup with just :02 seconds left in OT. Utah State shot 47.6% from the field & 32.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Wyoming to shoot 50.0% from the field & 31.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Aggies was Brandon Horvath who had 20 points, 8 rebounds, & 6 assits.
On the season, Utah State is averaging 75.8 ppg on 48.6% shooting from the field. The Aggies are averaging 8.1 three-pointers per game on 34.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Utah State has been led by Justin Bean (18.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.7 spg), Brandon Horvath (13.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.8 apg), Steven Ashworth (8.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.4 apg), & Rylan Jones (7.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.3 spg).
Defensively, Utah State is allowing their opponents to average 67.2 ppg on 42.0% shooting from the field. The Aggies have a rebound margin of 4.4 and a turnover margin of 0.3.
The Wolf Pack are 2-11 ATS in their last 13 games & 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. Utah State. The Aggies are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games & 14-5 ATS in their last 19 Friday home games.
Nevada has some solid offensive weapons in Grant Sherfield & Desmond Cambridge Jr, however, the offense still is nothing more than average (160th in scoring offense; 180th in FG%) while the defense has really struggled and currently ranks just 308th in scoring defense. Utah State could not pick up a win at Wyoming, however, the Aggies have been outstanding as of late and between the fact that Utah State’s offense, which ranks 72nd in scoring offense & 14th in FG%, should be able to put up plenty of points against Nevada and that the Wolf Pack are just 1-7 on the road, I think the play here is to take Utah State to cover this double-digit home spread. Good Luck!