UTEP vs Sam Houston State Prediction 3/6/25 College Basketball Picks

The UTEP Miners and the Sam Houston Bearkats meet Thursday in college basketball action from the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a UTEP vs. Sam Houston prediction.

Matchup History

The UTEP Miners won the first meeting this season by a final score of 81-72 at home back on January 4th, 2025. The win gave UTEP Back-To-Back wins in this head-to-head matchup and wins in 5 of the last 7 meetings.

UTEP Recap

The UTEP Miners come into this game looking to bounce back from a 76-75 loss at the hands of Middle Tennessee last time out to slip to 17-12 on the year. After this game, UTEP will head on the road one more time to take on Louisiana Tech to close out the regular season.

Miners Lose 5th In A Row

Otis Frazier III leads the Miners in scoring with 14 PPG and 2.6 APG along with 5.6 RPG while Corey Camper Jr. has 10.2 PPG with 3.7 RPG and 2.1 APG along with 2.1 SPG as well. Ahamad Bynum has 10.5 PPG to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for UTEP up to this point in the year while Kevin Kalu has 8 PPG and a team-high 5.6 RPG to lead UTEP on the glass this season. Devon Barnes has 9.4 PPG with 2 RPG and 2.1 APG and David Terrell Jr. has 8.6 PPG with 3.9 RPG and a team-high 4 APG to lead the Miners in assists up to this point in the year. As a team, UTEP is averaging 72.7 PPG on 44.4% shooting from the field, 35.3% from three, and 71.2% from the foul line this season.

Why the UTEP Miners will win

• UTEP has won seven of its last eight night games after coming off overtime.
• Sam Houston State has lost 13 of its last 17 games against the Conference USA.

Sam Houston Recap

The Sam Houston Bearkats come into this game looking to bounce back from a 90-66 loss at the hands of Louisiana Tech last time out to sit at 11-18 on the year. After this game, Sam Houston will welcome New Mexico State to town to close out the regular season.

Bearkats Drop Back-To-Back Games

Lamar Wilkerson leads Sam Houston in scoring with 19.7 PPG along with 4 RPG while Cameron Huefner has 13.9 PPG with 5.2 RPG on the year. Marcus Boykin has 11.7 PPG with 4 RPG and a team-high 4.8 APG to lead Sam Houston in the assist department and cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Sam Houston up to this point in the year. Dorian Finister has 8 PPG with 5.7 RPG and Kalifa Sakho has 7.4 PPG with a team-high 6.3 RPG to lead Sam Houston in rebounding so far this season. As a team, Sam Houston is averaging 75.2 PPG on 44.2% shooting from the field, 39.1% from behind the three-point line, and 72.6% from the foul line this season.

Why the Sam Houston State Bearkats will win

• UTEP has lost each of its last five games.
• Sam Houston State has won 33 of its last 39 night games at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.

Total Points Facts

• Four of UTEP’s last five games against Conference opponents have produced a total of 145+ points.
• Three of Sam Houston State’s last four night games against non-AP-ranked opponents at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum have produced a total of 144 or fewer points.

UTEP vs. Sam Houston Prediction

I’m on Sam Houston in this one. I get that the Bearkats may not have had the best run at times this season, but the Bearkats have at least picked up a couple of wins at home and have revenge on the brain here. It feels like UTEP is running out of steam down the stretch and this could be a great opportunity for the Bearkats to catch UTEP lacking here. Give me Sam Houston in this one.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Sam Houston -2.5