The UNLV Runnin' Rebels Will "Keep The Score Close" Against The Utah State Aggies

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team is set for a Mountain West Conference showdown with the Utah State Aggies tonight. This will be the toughest conference game that the Rebels have played this season, and could be the toughest they play all year. Going into Logan is going to be difficult, to say the least. With the game now just hours away, the predictions are rolling in. The latest comes from Michael Briggs of Winners and Whiners. This is the most positive prediction we have seen so far.

Winners And Whiners On The UNLV Runnin' Rebels @ The Utah State Aggies

"Spread Pick for UNLV vs. Utah State
Rebels +16.5 (4 Units)

This spread is too large, as the Aggies are coming off a disappointing upset loss and have failed to cover the spread in four of their last six, including two straight. The Runnin' Rebels covered in their previous two games and enter Tuesday's matchup ranked 41st nationally in defensive momentum, per Haslametrics. On the other end of the court, I anticipate UNLV to keep the score close with its ability to get to the foul line. The Rebels rank 15th nationally in free-throw attempt rate, and the Aggies foul too often, ranking 221st in opponent FT attempt rate.

Utah State has been inconsistent (ranked 363rd in Haslametrics' Consistency rating) and is just 4-5 ATS as double-digit favorites this season. The Aggies are a good team capable of bouncing back from their loss to the Lopes, but I won't back them against the spread on Tuesday."

We agree that this spread is too large. Especially with how well UNLV has been playing and how the Aggies have been playing in their past two games. While Utah State is rightfully the favorite in this game on their home court, this spread suggests that the Rebels won't even be particularly competitive in this game.

That just won't be the case. Their defense is going to show up and muddy up this game. If they can get the contributions they need to get on offense, this should be a relatively tight game. UNLV has struggled with consistency this season, but they have been playing more consistently as of late. That will be key to their success in this one. Someone is going to have to step on offense and have a big night.

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