UNLV (15-13) vs Nevada (16-12)
February 28, 2025 at 11:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: UNLV +1.5 — Over/Under: 133.5
The Nevada Wolf Pack and the UNLV Rebels meet Friday in college basketball action from Thomas & Mack Center. Here’s a Nevada vs UNLV prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Nevada vs UNLV pick. We will examine:
The Nevada Wolf Pack’s recent form and player performance
The UNLV Rebels’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Nevada Wolf Pack
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the UNLV Rebels
Recent betting trends in games played between Nevada and UNLV
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Nevada vs UNLV game
Nevada Wolf Pack Betting Preview
It’s been a spotty campaign for the Wolf Pack so far, but they’ve managed to stay a handful of games above the .500 mark. Nevada kicked things off on a solid 8-3 stretch with losses to only Vanderbilt, Washington State, and Loyola Marymount. After losses to Colorado State, Wyoming, Utah State, and New Mexico, the Wolf Pack took out Fresno State, Air Force, and San Jose State. Since then it’s been a 5-5 run with losses to Utah State, San Diego State, Boise State, Colorado State, and Boise State again. The wins otherwise during that time have come versus UNLV, Air Force, Fresno State, San Jose State, and Wyoming. In all that gives the Wolf Pack a 16-12 overall record through 28 games so far this year.
In the Wyoming matchup on Tuesday, the Wolf Pack kicked things off with a 39-28 advantage in the first half. Nevada closed on a 45-33 run and took the eventual win 84-61 in blowout fashion. Topping the scorers was Kobe Sanders, who came off the bench for 27 points with five rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes of work on the floor. Tyler Rolison added 16 points with five boards and five assists, while Nick Davidson put up 14 points, seven boards, three blocks and two assists in 33 minutes of action.
UNLV Rebels Betting Preview
Over on the Rebels’ side, they likewise have had mixed results this year but they’re still above .500 so far. UNLV lost to Memphis, Mississippi State, Northwestern, Creighton, and Dayton in their first 10 games, then took out UC Riverside, Fresno State, Air Force, and San Jose State in the next four. A 2-7 run came next with losses to Boise State, Colorado State, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah State, Nevada, and Boise State again. Since then UNLV has hit a 4-1 run with a lone loss to Colorado State. Otherwise, it’s been wins over Wyoming, Air Force, Fresno State, and San Jose State in that stretch. That gives the Rebels a 15-13 record through 28 games.
Matched up against San Jose State on the road Tuesday, the Rebels were up 35-31 by the break. UNLV posted a 42-40 run the rest of the way and powered out the win 77-71. Tops in scoring was Jaden Henley with 22 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Jalen Hill added 17 points with nine boards and two steals, while Jeremiah Cherry had 14 points with eight rebounds, two blocks, one steal, and one assist in 27 minutes of work on the floor.
Why the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels will win
- Nevada has lost five of its last six night games against the Mountain West Conference at Thomas & Mack Center.
- UNLV has won four of its last five games against the Mountain West Conference.
- UNLV has won the first half in four of its last five games against the Mountain West Conference.
Why the Nevada Wolf Pack will win
- Nevada has won seven of its last eight night games against UNLV following a home win.
- UNLV has lost four of its last five games at Thomas & Mack Center.
- UNLV has lost the first half in three of its last four night games against the Mountain West Conference at Thomas & Mack Center.
Nevada vs UNLV Prediction
I’ll lean toward Nevada, but this should be a pretty fun matchup. The Wolf Pack didn’t have much issue with Wyoming in their latest win, posting a nice 53.1 percent shooting from the field with 34 rebounds and 14 team assists. Nevada held the Cowboys to just 39.7 percent shooting on the other side and had only six turnovers during the victory. It was a much-needed win after a pair of defeats, but the Wolf Pack are still scoring well with 71 or more points in six of their last seven outings.
Nevada secured a 71-65 home win the last time these teams met up back on February 1. We should have another competitive game in the rematch, and I like the Wolf Pack to power out the road cover here. Should be a fun one to watch.