UNLV Runnin' Rebels Have To Prove They Can Be Reliable Against Boise State Broncos

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team will be on the road tonight to take on the Boise State Broncos. This is an important game in the Mountain West Conference standings with both teams sitting at 7 - 6. UNLV will go into this game as underdogs, and the predictions we have seen today have been treating them like it.

This most recent prediction comes from Dean Whitaker of Winners and Whiners. This is another prediction that the UNLV faithful are not going to be big fans of. They believe the Broncos will win this game handily.

Winners And Whiners Prediction For UNLV Runnin' Rebels @ Boise State Broncos

"Boise State -9.5 lines up cleanly with how these two teams are trending right now. The Broncos have won six of seven, they’re defending better than UNLV, and they’re back in a building where they’ve historically been one of the toughest outs in the Mountain West. They also have the emotional edge — that overtime loss in Las Vegas earlier in the season still stings, and this group has been playing with a sharper edge ever since. UNLV has talent and can score, but they foul too much, they’re inconsistent on the defensive end, and they haven’t shown the same reliability on the road that Boise brings at home. With the Broncos’ physicality, free‑throw volume, and the way they’ve been closing games lately, this sets up as a spot where they can control the tempo, lean on their depth, and pull away late...

The first meeting with UNLV landed at 152 in regulation, and that was in Las Vegas, where games tend to play faster and looser. UNLV’s foul rate and Boise’s free‑throw volume can inflate scoring, but both teams prefer to operate inside the arc, both can get bogged down in long possessions, and Boise’s home defensive profile is much tighter than what their recent road shootouts suggest. If this stays anywhere near the typical Mountain West tempo, the number has more room to fall short than clear."

We have been clear that we do not agree with anyone who is picking the Broncos to beat the Rebels by this margin. That's even with us saying that we do thing Boise State should win this game.

However, -9.5 points is too big of a point spread. This game should be a five-point game or closer, regardless of who wins. The spread is almost disrespectful considering the Rebels already won their head-to-head matchup this season.

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