Fresno State vs UNLV Picks and Odds
- The Fresno State Bulldogs (10-9, 8-9 Mountain West) play the UNLV Rebels (10-12, 7-8 Mountain West) on Friday, February 26th
- This will be the second time in three nights the schools have met after Fresno State won 67-64 Wednesday night
- See the odds, spread, analysis, and best bet, below
East coast bettors will enjoy late night action Friday night when Fresno State runs it back with UNLV at the Thomas & Mack Arena in Paradise, Nevada (11:00 pm ET).
Fresno State surprised UNLV, bettors, and the 50 spectators allowed in the venue on Wednesday night by winning the game outright as seven-point dogs. They needed the win in a bad way after getting big-timed by San Diego State their previous two games. As for UNLV, the loss was a tough way to celebrate winning two straight road games.
This series has been a toss-up with both teams claiming two of the last four meetings. The latest odds show UNLV is favored by 6 points this time around.
Fresno State vs UNLV Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno State Bulldogs | +6 (-110) | +220 | Over 131 (-116) |
| UNLV Rebels | -6 (-110) | -270 | Under 131 (-106) |
Odds as of Feb. 25th at FanDuel.
Fresno State Showed Out
Coming into this one, the Bulldogs were the 206th ranked team in the country according to KenPom. They are challenged offensively as evidenced by their 206th best offensive efficiency ranking. Besides not being able to score, they don’t defend well as they rank 191 in defensive efficiency. Neither inefficiency kept them from pulling out an improbable win on the road.
Fresno's own Deon Stroud turned a steal into an open-floor 360-degree dunk in tonight's 67-64 win at UNLV.#GoDogs | #PrideOfTheValley | #ValleyTough @stroud_deon pic.twitter.com/HnqqZIBU8M
— Fresno State Men’s Basketball (@FresnoStateMBB) February 25, 2021
Isaiah Hill picked a great night to almost double his point per game production on the season. The single-digit averaging scorer on the year, poured in a season-high 19 points to go along with 7 dimes for the winners. Deon Stroud also chipped in with an 18 point, seven board game while Anthony Holland drilled three 3-pointers.
UNLV Didn’t Go Down Easily
Even though the Rebels didn’t win either half, they were still in this one all game. It was a tug-of-war between two teams that didn’t seem to want to pull away from the other. Had it not been for Bryce Hamilton, UNLV would have gotten rolled.
Possession after possession, the Rebels leaned on Hamilton and the more they did, the more he seemed to come through. The guard ended up taking 24 shots on the night while hitting 11 of them en route to a 27 point outing.
.@bham_10 drives & hits, once again! #UNLVmbb #BEaREBEL pic.twitter.com/BJqPhDLNwZ
— UNLV Men's Basketball (@TheRunninRebels) February 25, 2021
Hamilton and David Jenkins are the only two Rebels averaging double digits in scoring on the season so it’s imperative both be at their best. Wednesday night it was obvious David Jenkins simply didn’t have it offensively, forcing Hamilton shouldered the load. Jenkins wasn’t awful but nine points on 11 shots won’t get it done.
Best Betting Angle
The first game was decided at the three-point line as Fresno State couldn’t seem to miss from downtown. Normally they hit right around six threes per game which ranks 271st in the nation. Wednesday night they hit 10 of 27 attempts which seems unlikely to happen again. UNLV has one of the worst three-point defenses in the country but the Bulldogs still have to make their attempts which is not the safest of bets.
.@bham_10 with the spin-o-rama! #UNLVmbb #BEaREBEL pic.twitter.com/rhPpSCUi7s
— UNLV Men's Basketball (@TheRunninRebels) February 25, 2021
The other side of this is the fact that the Rebels are a team that usually sticks the three. They are 63rd in the nation canning 8.5 three-point attempts per contest. In the game Wednesday night, they only hit three of their 15 attempts. The Bulldogs are currently 242nd in three-point defense in the nation so this was an anomaly. Watching the game, it was clear the normally reliable Rebels were missing wide-open looks. If the three-point game flips, the Rebels could take this one by double-digits.
The pick: UNLV -6 (-110)
John has spent the past 20+ years betting sports on a daily basis and is considered by many to be a walking sports betting encyclopedia. From obscure player props to sides and totals, if there is an angle, John will find it.
