San Diego State was the latest Mountain West title contender to fall victim to the newest team in the conference.
The Aztecs erased a double-digit lead in the second half of a game at Grand Canyon on Wednesday only to watch Makaih Williams knock down a pair of free throws in the final seconds of the Antelopes’ 70-69 win. Grand Canyon also knocked off Utah State at home on Tuesday.
San Diego State (13-5, 7-1 MWC) is still in first place in the Mountain West, and the Aztecs will try to keep it that way with a win today on the road against suddenly surging UNLV. The Rebels (10-8, 5-2) have won three-straight games, including a 10-point win at Utah State and an 89-85 overtime victory against Boise State.
UNLV is averaging 79.3 points a game, which ranks No. 5 in the conference. The Rebels are led by Illinois transfer Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, who put up 21 points against Utah State and leads the team with 17.1 points a night. Six-foot-8 Highpoint transfer Kimani Hamilton is adding 12.4 points a game, and 6-foot-9 freshman Tyrin Jones is chipping in with 11.2 points and 5.1 rebounds a game. He put up 20 points against Utah State.
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San Diego State is averaging 81.3 points a night, which ranks No. 2 in the league behind Utah State (83.7 PPG).
The Aztecs are led by a trio of veteran guards. BJ Davis leads the team with 11.6 points a night, and he’s No. 4 with 41 assists. Reese Dixon-Waters is averaging 11.2 points a game and leads the team with 35 3-pointers, and Miles Byrd is adding 10.4 points a night and leads the team with 50 assists and 36 steals.
They played without 7-foot sophomore Magoon Gwath at Grand Canyon because of a hip injury. He was named Mountain West Freshman of the Year last season. Six-foot-5 freshman Elzie Harrington led the team with 16 points against the Antelopes.
San Diego State at UNLV Odds
San Diego State is a 4.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM as of this writing, and the Over/Under is 149.5 points.
The Moneyline is at -200 for San Diego State and +165 for UNLV.
San Diego State at UNLV on TV
The Mountain West game featuring San Diego State and UNLV will be televised on CBS.
Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.
San Diego State at UNLV Prediction
I predict San Diego State wins 82-76.
San Diego State doesn’t have a dominant rebounder or rim protector without Gwath on the floor, but the Aztecs are still the best rebounding team in the Mountain West. They’re averaging 37.3 rebounds a game without their 7-footer because everyone in the starting lineup crashes the boards.
The Aztecs have five regular contributors who average at least 3.5 rebounds a game, and 6-9 junior Miles Heide, who has taken on a larger role in Gwath’s absence, leads the team with five a night.
Heide is going to be important today because he’s going to be the one battling Jones and Hamilton in the paint, but the Aztecs are just too experienced in the backcourt to let this game get out of hand. UNLV will keep it close, but San Diego State will force turnovers down the stretch and pull away late.
