UTEP vs Utah Valley Prediction College Basketball Picks 11/9/24

The UTEP Miners are visiting the Utah Valley Wolverines on Saturday, November 9th at the UCCU Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a UTEP Miners vs. Utah Valley Wolverines Prediction.

Utah Valley Wolverines Preview

The Utah Valley Wolverines are coming off a balanced season with a 16-16 record, placing 5th in the WAC with an 11-9 conference record. Utah Valley had a strong 10-4 home record but struggled on the road with just 5-10. The Wolverines were 17-11-1 against the spread and 12-17 in over/under.

Offensively, Utah Valley struggled mightily with just 68.7 points per game, which ranked 306th nationally. Defensively, they were elite, allowing just 68.6 points per game, which was 75th in the nation. The Wolverines struggled with their shooting last season, with just 43.3% from the field (263rd), a bottom-10 in the nation at 28.5% from beyond the arc, and just 67.6% from the free throw line (317th).

Senior guard Caleb Stone-Carrawell led Utah Valley’s offense with 11.7 points and 3.4 rebounds, while junior guard Drake Allen added 11.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and a team-high 4.3 assists.

UTEP Miners Preview

The UTEP Miners finished last season with an 18-16 record, placing 5th in the USA with a 7-9 conference record. UTEP had a solid home record of 13-5 but struggled on the road with just 2-9. The Miners were 10-17-1 against the spread and 12-16 in over/under.

Offensively, UTEP was below average with 72.6 points per game, which ranked 207th nationally. Defensively they were top-100, allowing 69.1 points per game (90th). The Miners shot 44.7% from the field (176th) but just 31.9% from beyond the arc (292nd). They shot with a poor 69% from the free-throw line (294th).

Senior guard Tae Hardy led UTEP’s offense with 15 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, while senior guard Yazid Powell added 11.2 points and team-highs both in rebounding, with 5 and in assists made with 3.1. UTEP will take on UC Santa Barbara, San Jose State, Long Beach State, and UNC Greensboro after this game.

Why the Utah Valley Wolverines will win

• Utah Valley has won 14 of its last 15 games against non-conference opponents at UCCU Center.
• UTEP has lost each of its last eight Saturday road games against non-conference opponents.
• UTEP has lost the first half in seven of its last eight road games against the Western Athletic Conference.

Why the UTEP Miners will win

• UTEP has won seven of its last eight-day games following a home win.
• Utah Valley has lost four of its last five games against non-conference opponents.
• UTEP has won the first half in seven of its last eight-day games against non-conference opponents.

UTEP Miners vs Utah Valley Wolverines Prediction

In this UTEP Miners vs. Utah Valley Wolverines Prediction, Utah Valley is coming as a -4.5-point home favorite. Utah Valley is projected as #155 in the nation this season, while UTEP is projected at #151. Both teams had top-90 defenses last year, allowing a total of 137.7 points per game combined. Their average totals were also low with 137.3 and 141.7 and both teams were a combined 33-24 to the under. I expect a hard-fought defensive battle in this game, so I’m taking the under the point total.

Nikos Lagouretos's Pick: Under 142