UTEP vs UAB 2/26/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
UAB Blazers (21-7) vs. UTEP Miners (16-11)
February 26, 2022 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: UTEP Miners +6.5 / UAB Blazers -6.5; Over/Under: 139.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The UAB Blazers will travel to the Don Haskins Center to take on the UTEP Miners this Saturday night in College Basketball action.
The UAB Blazers improved to 21-7 on the season after defeating the UTSA Roadrunners, 68-56, this past Thursday. UAB was outstanding on the defensive end against UTSA and had no trouble holding onto the victory after taking a 58-41 lead with 5:55 left in regulation. UAB shot 44.6% from the field & 27.3% from beyond the arc while holding UTSA to shoot 37.0% from the field & 36.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Blazers was KJ Buffen who had 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, & 2 steals.
On the season, UAB is averaging 80.1 ppg on 46.7% shooting from the field. The Blazers are averaging 7.4 three-pointers per game on 36.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, UAB has been led by Jordan Walker (19.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4.8 apg, 1.6 spg), Quan Jackson (11.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.4 spg), KJ Buffen (10.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.1 spg), & Tavin Lovan (8.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.2 spg).
Defensively, UAB is holding their opponents to an average of 64.6 ppg on 40.7% shooting from the field. The Blazers have a rebound margin of 3.7 and a turnover margin of 6.1.
The UTEP Miners had their 2-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 16-11 on the season after being defeated by the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, 77-59, this past Monday. UTEP struggled on the offensive end against Middle Tennessee and could not fight back after going into halftime trailing by a 43-30 margin. UTEP shot just 36.5% from the field & 22.7% from beyond the arc while allowing Middle Tennessee to shoot 49.1% from the field & 47.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Miners was Sidney Boum who had 24 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, & 3 steals.
On the season, UTEP is averaging 69.0 ppg on 42.3% shooting from the field. The Miners are averaging 7.8 three-pointers per game on 35.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, UTEP has been led by Souley Boum (19.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.8 spg), Jamal Bieniemy (15.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.7 spg), Jorell Saterfield (7.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg), & Tydus Verhoeven (6.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.0 bpg).
Defensively, UTEP is holding their opponents to an average of 66.5 ppg on 44.5% shooting from the field. The Miners have a rebound margin of -4.0 and a turnover margin of 3.3.
The Blazers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games & 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games vs. UTEP. The Miners are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. UAB.
UAB has been outstanding on the season on both ends of the court as the Blazers come into this game ranked 13th in scoring offense, 45th in scoring defense, & 47th in defensive FG%. UTEP has been led by their defense which ranks 98th in scoring defense & 27th in turnover margin, however, the Miners have struggled on the offensive end as they currently rank just 233rd in scoring offense & 270th in FG%.
UTEP has been solid at home this season, posting a 9-5 record, however, the Miners have struggled against UAB recently, which included a 75-62 loss at UAB. UAB hasn’t been overly dominant on the road this season, posting just a 5-4 record, however, as I think the Blazers defense will be able to give UTEP trouble, I think the play here is to take UAB to cover this mid-range roadspread. Good Luck!
