UTEP vs Jackson State Prediction 12-20-24 College Basketball Picks

The Jackson State Tigers and the UTEP Miners meet Friday in college basketball action from Don Haskins Center. Here’s a UTEP vs Jackson State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best UTEP vs Jackson State pick.

Jackson State Tigers Betting Preview

The Tigers’ season has started out on a rough slide. Jackson State has lost to Houston, High Point, Xavier, Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky, Kentucky, Lipscomb, Saint Louis, Arkansas Stae and Iowa State in succession so far.

Matched up against Iowa State back on December 8, the Tigers were drilled 46-24 in the first half. Jackson State posted a 54-34 deficit the rest of the way and lost 100-58. Dorian McMillian was the leading team scorer with 20 points and two rebounds. Jackson State will face Cal Baptist, Alcorn State, and Alabama State after this one. 

UTEP Miners Betting Preview

Over on the UTEP side, they beat Sul Ross State, UT Permian Basin, and UC Santa Barbara in their first five games. The Miners have taken out Long Beach State, UNC Greensboro, Seattle, and Tarleton State during a 4-1 run since then.

In the Tarleton State game, the Miners held a 32-23 lead by halftime. UTEP gave some of that away in the second but still managed to persevere on a 67-62 win. Otis Frazier topped the team with his 18 points and four rebounds.

Why the UTEP Miners will win

• Jackson State has lost each of its last 12 games against non-conference opponents.
• UTEP has won each of its last five games at Don Haskins Center.
• Jackson State has lost the first half in 15 of its last 16 games against non-conference opponents.

UTEP vs Jackson State Prediction

I’ll lean toward UTEP. The Miners are on a pretty good run these days but could use a bit of a bounce-back after a rough effort versus a struggling Tarleton State team. UTEP was out-rebounded 26-25 in that one and coughed up 15 turnovers for 11 Texans points in the victory. That said, the Miners have scored pretty well during this 4-1 stretch with 70 or more points in three of the five games.

As for Jackson State, they’ve been below 67 points in six straight games. The Tigers have allowed 74 or more points in nine of 10 games this season as well, so they’re having issues on both sides of the ball. UTEP should have every advantage here, but the Miners will need to clean up their mistakes and rebound better if they want a smooth win.