Thursday Night in CBB we will see the 20 ranked UNLV Runnin Rebels take on the Wyoming Cowboys in the Quarterfinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament. The game is scheduled for a 11:30 pm tipoff and will be televised live locally.  Currently UNLV is favored by 9 points with the total being set at 126.5 for the game.  The 20th-ranked UNLV Runnin' Rebels again get to enjoy some home cooking as they entertain the Wyoming Cowboys in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Mountain West Conference Tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center in Sin City.

Free Analysis:  The third-seeded Rebels, winners of this annual event a total of three times, but not since claiming the trophy in 2008 thanks to a 76-61 beating of BYU, has a distinct advantage against the Cowboys and the rest of the league members because the team has gone undefeated at home (17-0) in 2011-12. UNLV capped its first perfect home mark since 1991-92 with Saturday's 74-63 win over the Cowboys to avenge a 68-66 loss in Wyoming on Feb. 4. Moser, who averages team bests of 14.0 points and 10.7 rebounds, finally busted out of his slump with 17 points and 12 boards. The 6-foot-8 sophomore had averaged 6.5 points on 23.5 percent shooting and 6.5 rebounds in his previous four games. Moser's all- around play has been crucial to the team's success because he's also been responsible for 60 steals and 76 assists over the course of 32 games. Versatile junior guard Anthony Marshall was a second-team selection and averages 12.0 points and 4.8 assists. Senior guard Oscar Bellfield and senior forward Chace Stanback were third-team all-conference selections. Bellfield averages 5.3 assists and is one shy of the Mountain West career record held by New Mexico’s Dairese Gary (564 from 2007-11). Stanback is UNLV’s second-leading scorer at 13.0. For a sixth straight year, the Rebels (25-7) host the conference tournament and they went 17-0 at the Thomas & Mack Center this season averaging 82.2 ppg, while allowing just 63.3 ppg at home in the process. As for the sixth-seeded Cowboys, a program which has appeared in the title game only once in the previous 12 years of this event and lost to San Diego State in 2006 in overtime, they had one of their best overall seasons in recent memory with 20 wins in 30 opportunities. The squad hit a number of snags in conference play, but did manage to take down these same Rebels at home in early February by a score of 68-66, so there is certainly reason to believe Wyoming can make it happen tonight. The player to watch for the Cowboys is Leonard Washington who managed to log double-doubles in two of the last three outings for the program, while in conference play he led the Pokes in both scoring and rebounding with 13.9 ppg and 7.5 rpg and while he has made 41.4 percent of his three-point shots in those 14 games, chances are he'd be better served in the paint where he can clog up the lane at both ends of the floor. Francisco Cruz (12.6 ppg) and Luke Martinez (10.9 ppg) are also important pieces to the offensive puzzle, but so is JayDee Luster (5.1 ppg) who is shooting just 34.5 percent from the floor in conference, but is tops on the team with 52 assists. Wyoming has dropped its last five games away from campus and has lost all 17 of its road contests against Top 25 teams since 1996. As far as the all-time series is concerned, the Rebels own a 29-15 advantage after earning a split during the regular season. UNLV has won all but three of 22 contests that have taken place in Las Vegas over the years. The winner of this meeting heads right back to the hardwood on Friday when it will clash with the survivor of the Air Force/New Mexico matchup in the semifinals.

Free Pick:  This is a home game for the Rebels and they have been dynamite at home going 17-0 SU and 9-5 ATS, while outscoring their opponents by 18.9 ppg in the process. That home record includes beating these same Cowboys by 11 in the regular season finale. Wyoming does come in having won 2 of their last 3 games, but both wins were at home and tonight they are on the road where they have gone just 5-7 overall and 0-5 in their last 5 away from home. Wyoming plays great defense, but UNLV has scored 82.2 ppg on 50.5% shooting at home, while Wyoming has averaged just 58.9 ppg on the road, including just 51.4 ppg in their 5 game road losing streak. The Rebels know the Cowboys are a dangerous team because of their defense, but this Cowboys team has not played well down the stretch or on the road, while UNLV just blows teams out at home. This one could get ugly as UNLV should win by 17+.  

Free Picks: Wyoming vs UNLV - Best Bet from Marco DAngelo
http://PregameVideos.com - Baylor's athleticism versus Kansas States defensive style and Baylor flying under the radar plus other factors college basketball bettors need to know about Wyoming vs UNLV (Thursday, March 8, 2012) from Pregame.com - Including a best bet from Marco D'Angelo and analysis from Scott Spreitzer.