The UNLV Runnin Rebels travel to take on the San Diego State Aztecs tonight in Mountain West College Basketball. The game is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network. Currently the odds for the game have San Diego State favored by a couple of possessions to get the win.
San Diego State is just a half game back from a three-way tie atop the Mountain West Conference standings. The Aztecs sport a 3-1 conference mark and are 13-4 overall on the season. Wyoming, New Mexico and Fresno State all sit in first place in the conference and a win here for San Diego State would allow the Aztecs to join that group. They'll be taking on a UNLV team that has underachieved all season, but they are certainly a young group for Dave Rice.
UNLV has one of the best freshman in the country in Rashad Vaughn, who averages 17.5 points and nearly five rebounds per game. Christian Wood is another very solid player for UNLV, but the Rebels are not a very good defensive unit. That proved to be the case earlier this week when UNLV played good enough to win at Boise State, but eventually lost on the road in overtime. The Rebels were solid on offense in that one, but couldn't find a way to slow Boise down and eventually got beat.
In tonight's game, San Diego State will look to shut everything down. The Aztecs are once again a very good defensive club, allowing just 53.4 points per game to opponents. Yet, as good as that is, the Aztecs have struggled on offense all season as well — scoring just under 62 points per game, which ranks 302nd in the country. The Aztecs do not go a good job of having assists (9.8 per game, 331st) or shooting the basketball well, ranking 303rd in the country at just 40.1 percent from the field.
UNLV does do a pretty good job scoring, but will they be able to pick up a win on the road against a team as good as San Diego State on defense? The Aztecs don't give up a lot of second chance opportunities to opponents and find a way to win grind-it-out types of games. Tonight they'll be able to do that once again, getting a decent game from Winston Shepard and the gang.
Free Pick: San Diego State 59, UNLV 50
College Basketball Free Picks: UNLV vs San Diego State Betting
What college basketball bettors need to know about betting UNLV Runnin Rebels vs San Diego State Aztecs on Saturday (1/17/14) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Dave Cokin with added insight from Ken Thomson.
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