by Chuck Sommers
Thursday, Mar 10, 2022
Mountain West Tournament - Quarterfinal
Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV
Where to watch: CBS Sports Network
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: UNLV -1
BetMGM: UNLV -1.5
Caesars: UNLV -1
Season record
UNLV: 18-13
Wyoming: 24-7
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UNLV - Wyoming preview and analysis
The UNLV Lady Rebels have set the bar high when it comes to heading to March. Will the UNLV Runnin' Rebels follow suit? A lot of people tend to think so with the Mountain West Tournament starting this week.
It's been a long time since UNLV was considered a frontrunner in the conference tournament that it hosts, and many experts think they can be the sneaky team that finds its way back to the NCAA Tournament. What a time that would be if both the men's and women's programs made it? That'd be awesome.
But first, the Rebels have to get through their first game, and it's against a familiar foe, one they just beat not too long ago. The Wyoming Cowboys, once considered the best team in the Mountain West, has fallen off the map a great deal over the last few weeks heading into tournament play and it now seems like they need a tournament run in order to get to March Madness.
The Cowboys and Rebels is the 4-5 matchup but with the way the tournament is slated, they're the for-certain matchup that gets the first-round bye. The winner will go on to the semifinals to take on the winner of top-seeded Boise State and Nevada-Reno.
Wyoming ended the regular season losing three of five but defeated Fresno State 68-64 in overtime for its 24th win of the season. The Cowboys held off a dominant 34 points and nine rebounds from Orlando Robinson for the win. Xavier DuSeli finished with a team-high 21 points, Graham Ike had 16 points and eight rebounds as Wyoming won the game despite shooting just 39.3 percent from the floor.
Wyoming was ranked in the top-25 just a few weeks ago, but this run of losing has put some questions in the air.
It was just over a week ago when the Cowboys lost to the Runnin' Rebels at Thomas & Mack Center, 64-57. In that matchup, Royce Hamm Jr. led UNLV with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while leading scorer Bryce Hamilton shot just 3 of 15 from the floor. If UNLV was able to win with its best player shooting like that, you have to feel things are going in the right direction.
Hamilton rebounded to score 28 points in their season finale against New Mexico, but he didn't get much help ins a 76-67 loss to the Lobos. Justin Webster had 13 points off the bench, but that was the only help he got in a rough shooting night for the Rebels. The good news is they're at home for this entire tournament and you have to like their chances this season compared to years past.
It's been a long time since UNLV was considered a frontrunner in the conference tournament that it hosts, and many experts think they can be the sneaky team that finds its way back to the NCAA Tournament. What a time that would be if both the men's and women's programs made it? That'd be awesome.
But first, the Rebels have to get through their first game, and it's against a familiar foe, one they just beat not too long ago. The Wyoming Cowboys, once considered the best team in the Mountain West, has fallen off the map a great deal over the last few weeks heading into tournament play and it now seems like they need a tournament run in order to get to March Madness.
The Cowboys and Rebels is the 4-5 matchup but with the way the tournament is slated, they're the for-certain matchup that gets the first-round bye. The winner will go on to the semifinals to take on the winner of top-seeded Boise State and Nevada-Reno.
Wyoming ended the regular season losing three of five but defeated Fresno State 68-64 in overtime for its 24th win of the season. The Cowboys held off a dominant 34 points and nine rebounds from Orlando Robinson for the win. Xavier DuSeli finished with a team-high 21 points, Graham Ike had 16 points and eight rebounds as Wyoming won the game despite shooting just 39.3 percent from the floor.
Wyoming was ranked in the top-25 just a few weeks ago, but this run of losing has put some questions in the air.
It was just over a week ago when the Cowboys lost to the Runnin' Rebels at Thomas & Mack Center, 64-57. In that matchup, Royce Hamm Jr. led UNLV with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while leading scorer Bryce Hamilton shot just 3 of 15 from the floor. If UNLV was able to win with its best player shooting like that, you have to feel things are going in the right direction.
Hamilton rebounded to score 28 points in their season finale against New Mexico, but he didn't get much help ins a 76-67 loss to the Lobos. Justin Webster had 13 points off the bench, but that was the only help he got in a rough shooting night for the Rebels. The good news is they're at home for this entire tournament and you have to like their chances this season compared to years past.
Prediction
My poor little heart doesn't want to get my hopes up in the potential Cinderella run that could happen with UNLV. My alma-mater is one of those teams that I shouldn't get so excited for, but they've proven a lot of teams wrong all year long. Let it ride. UNLV by 8
Betting trends
UNLV is 29-28 ATS against conference opponents the past three years.
UNLV is 3-11 ATS after playing its previous game as a favorite.
Wyoming is 7-2 ATS in its last nine tournament games.
Wyoming is 7-17 ATS as a neutral court favorite or pick.
Projected starting lineup
UNLV:
PG: Jordan McCabe
SG: Mike Nunga
SF: Keshon Gilbert
PF: Bryce Hamilton
C: Royce Hamm Jr.
Wyoming:
PG: Hunter Maldonado
SG: Drake Jeffries
SF: Brendan Wenzel
PF: Jeremiah Oden
C: Graham Ike
Statistical leaders
Wyoming:
Points: Graham Ike -- 19.9
Rebounds: Graham Ike -- 9.6
Assists: Hunter Maldonado -- 6.4
UNLV:
Points: Bryce Hamilton -- 21.8
Rebounds: Royce Hamm Jr. -- 9.3
Assists: Jordan McCabe -- 4.9
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
