Fresno State vs UNLV Prediction 12/20/2025 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Fresno State Bulldogs and the UNLV Rebels meet Saturday in college basketball action from Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Here’s a Fresno State vs UNLV prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Fresno State vs UNLV pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

Fresno State Bulldogs Betting Preview

The Bulldogs kicked off their season on a nice 6-2 run. The losses in that time were versus USC Upstate and UC San Diego. Otherwise it was wins over Fresno Pacific, Long Beach State, Utah Valley, Stephen F Austin, New Orleans and Pepperdine in that stretch. Since then however, Fresno State has fallen versus Cal State Bakersfield, Arkansas and Cal State Northridge in succession. That gives the Bulldogs a 6-5 overall run across 11 games so far.

In the Cal State Northridge game on Wednesday, the Bulldogs went into the locker room with a 10-point deficit. Fresno State fought back on a 50-42 run the rest of the way and took the game 89-87 in the end. Zaon Collins led the way on 24 points, and DeShawn Gory added 19 points with three rebounds and three assists. Wilson Jacques doubled up on 10 points with 10 boards as well.

UNLV Rebels Betting Preview

Over on the UNLV side, they went 3-2 in their first five outings with losses to TN-Martin and Montana among wins over Chattanooga, Memphis and Saint Joseph’s. It’s been a 1-4 run since then with a lone win over Stanford among losses to Maryland, Alabama, Rutgers and Tennessee State. Over their 10 games so far UNLV has a 4-6 overall record this year.

In the Tennessee State matchup last weekend, the Rebels went into the second half with a four-point edge. UNLV was outscored 34-27 the rest of the way however, leading to a 63-60 loss in the end. The team’s only double-digit scorer was Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn with 13 points and two rebounds. Kimani Hamilton added nine rebounds with four assists and seven points as well.

Fresno State Bulldogs @ UNLV Runnin’ Rebels Betting Trends: December 20, 2025

Why the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels will win

• Fresno State has lost each of its last 11 day games against the Mountain West Conference.
• UNLV has won five of its last six day games.
• UNLV has won the first half in five of its last six games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the Fresno State Bulldogs will win

• UNLV has lost five of its last six games when playing with a rest disadvantage.

Fresno State vs UNLV Prediction

I’ll stick with Fresno State. The Bulldogs had a bad first half against a middling Cal State Northridge team in their last outing, eventually getting out-rebounded 28-23 with 11 turnovers. Fresno State gave up 55 percent from the field in that one and the Matadors hit a nice 13-of-14 (92.9 percent) from the line to seal their fate. The Bulldogs have given up 76 or more points in three straight games, taking losses in all three. They’ve got to get better on defense.

As for UNLV, they’re in pretty rough shape themselves after the loss to Tennessee State. The Rebels shot just 37.3 percent from the field in that one and 3-of-15 (20 percent) from outside alongside a 19-of-32 (59.4 percent) effort from the line. The 18 turnovers didn’t help matters either. During this 1-4 run, UNLV has been below 68 points in three of those five games, but to be fair they’ve played a couple of tough squads in that stretch as well.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Fresno State Bulldogs +5.5