The UNLV men’s basketball team hopes to pull off another upset with Mountain West-leading New Mexico in town on Saturday. The Lobos look to extend their lead in the race for the regular-season conference title.
UNLV (11-8, 5-3 Mountain West) knocked off Utah State and San Diego State in consecutive games last week before coming back down to earth with a 63-61 loss at home to Wyoming on Tuesday.
New Mexico (16-4, 8-1 MWC) hopes to further remove itself from a surprising loss to San Jose State on Jan. 14 and extend its lead over Utah State (17-2, 7-1) in the Mountain West title race.
The Lobos have won their past two games in convincing fashion since their 71-70 loss at San Jose State. New Mexico knocked off Boise State, 84-65, on Jan. 17 and beat Fresno State, 95-67, on Monday.
Six-foot-10 fifth-year senior Nelly Junior Joseph posted a double-double against Fresno State, finishing with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Two of his teammates just missed double-doubles of their own. Point guard Donovan Dent scored a team-high 20 points and finished with nine assists, and Mustapha Amzil chipped in with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Dent, who eclipsed the 400 career assist milestone against Fresno State, leads New Mexico with 18.9 points a game. Dent and Boise State’s Alvaro Cardenas are tied with a Mountain West-leading 137 assists. Joseph is averaging a double-double, 13.1 points and 10.1 rebounds a night, and Amzil is averaging 13.2 points a game.
UNLV took advantage of 12 turnovers in its 65-62 win over Utah State, and point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. went off for 19 points in a 76-68 win over San Diego State.
New Mexico at UNLV Betting Odds
New Mexico is a 4.5-point college basketball odds favorite on BetMGM against UNLV, and the Over/Under is 147.5 points.
The Moneyline is at -200 for New Mexico and at +165 for UNLV.
New Mexico at UNLV on TV
The Mountain West game featuring New Mexico and UNLV will be televised on FOX.
Tonight’s tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
New Mexico at UNLV Prediction
I predict New Mexico wins, 72-63.
When Dent and Joseph are playing at the top of their games, New Mexico can hang with any team in the country.
Dent isn’t just a game manager as a point guard. He’s the best scorer in the Mountain West, ranking No. 1 in the conference with 18.9 points a night. He may also be one of the fastest players in the country.
Joseph is the only player in the Mountain West that is averaging a double-double. Colorado State’s Nique Clifford is the closest with 17.1 points and 9.6 rebounds a game.
Joseph and Dent have both played a lot of basketball. They know the next several weeks will be key to their hopes of a Mountain West title and another bid to the NCAA Tournament. That begins with what will likely be a showdown for first place in the conference at Utah State on Feb. 1.
UNLV has shocked the world before. Just take a look at the Rebels’ win over Utah State. Thomas is a talented scorer and a precise passer, and he’s had some help from sixth-year forward Jalen Hill, who put up 15 points and eight rebounds against Boise State.
The Rebels’ problem is they struggle to control the boards. UNLV ranks No. 10 in the 11-team Mountain West with 32.5 rebounds a game. New Mexico leads the conference and ranks No. 21 in the country with 40.3 a night.
