College Basketball on Saturday and we will see the Fresno State Bulldogs travel to Las Vegas to take on the UNLV Runnin Rebels. The game is scheduled for a 6:00 pm (Eastern) start time and will be televised locally. Currently the Odds for the game have UNLV favored by 14.5 points while the total sits at 123.
Analysis: Tied with Colorado State for second place in the MWC standings heading into the weekend, the Runnin' Rebels have rattled off five straight wins and six in the last seven outings thanks to a 68-64 victory versus Boise State at home four nights ago. UNLV now has a record of 17-1 in the desert and is a perfect 7-0 at home in conference play. Down by as many as 11 points in the first half and seven points at the break, the Runnin' Rebels put on a furious run in the second half in order to overtake Boise State and eventually grab the victory. Anthony Marshall led the way with 16 points, seven assists and five rebounds, while Bryce Dejean-Jones matched his scoring output and added five dishes of his own. With Bennett now playing as a reserve, that has opened the door for Mike Moser to return to the starting lineup where he was such a dominant performer last season. But Moser is still having his issues following injury, shooting just 3-of-9 from the floor as he scored just seven points versus Boise State. Bennett, who has been dealing with an injury of his own in the last few weeks, is still the top scorer (16.2 ppg) and rebounder (8.3 rpg) for the Rebels, but his numbers have taken a hit.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have found the move from the Western Athletic Conference to the MWC to be a difficult one. The team has just four league wins in 15 opportunities, but did manage to snap a two-game slide last weekend with a 56-41 romp over Air Force at home, and as a result is now seventh in the league standings. Brad Ely made a huge impression off the bench for the Bulldogs last Saturday as he knocked down 9-of-11 shots from the floor in order to register a game- high 21 points in the win against Air Force. Also scoring in double figures for FSU was Allen Huddleston with 11 points, the team shooting only 37.5 percent from the floor and 2-of-14 beyond the arc, yet still landed in the win column. In conference play, the Bulldogs have been less than impressive as they put up a mere 57.9 ppg, but at least the defense, giving up 62.7 ppg) has had some shining moments. Tyler Johnson is the lone double-digit scorer for the group in conference with 13.8 ppg, his 29 assists also first on the unit. A telling fact for FSU has not a single player starting every league bout this season, with only four appearing in each of those contests.
Pick: It's time for the Rebels to put forth a complete game and I feel it happens today. UNLV will roll Fresno in this one.
College Basketball Free Picks: Fresno State at UNLV (Best Bet)
What college basketball bettors need to know about Fresno State Bulldogs at UNLV Runnin Rebels on Saturday (3/09/13) - a best bet from Pregame.com's Marco D'Angelo, with host Scott Spreitzer.