San Jose State Spartans vs UNLV Rebels Prediction, 1/4/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: San Jose State Spartans vs UNLV Rebels

Date: Saturday, January 4, 2025

Location: Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV

TV: ESPN+

Thomas & Mack Center is the site where the UNLV Rebels (8-5) will take on the San Jose State Spartans (7-8) on Saturday.

The San Jose State Spartans took the court against Colorado State and took a loss by a score of 72-50 in their last contest. San Jose State finished the game having earned a 29.5% field goal percentage (18 out of 61) and made 2 of 23 shots from beyond the arc. At the free throw line, the Spartans buried 12 of 16 attempts for a rate of 75.0%. In relation to grabbing rebounds, they earned 25 with 5 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 5 dimes in this game while forcing the other team into 16 turnovers and getting 5 steals. When talking about the defense, San Jose State let their opponent shoot 50.0% from the floor on 29 out of 58 shooting. Colorado State doled out 18 assists and had 2 steals for this contest. Additionally, Colorado State snagged 44 rebounds (8 offensive, 36 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Colorado State went 77.8% at the free throw line by knocking down 7 of 9 tries. They made 7 of 26 tries from three-point range. Concerning personal fouls, the Spartans left the arena with 13 and Colorado State finished the game with 15 personal fouls.

Will McClendon is one player who was a major factor for the matchup. He left the arena with 15 points on 4 of 13 shooting. He was on the court for 28 minutes and also snagged 2 rebounds. He ended up shooting 30.8% from the floor and also dished out 1 assist.

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San Jose State heads into this one with a record of 7-8 on the season. They have an average of 76.3 points per game (168th in D-1) while shooting 46.5% from the field. The Spartans are shooting 32.2% on shots from distance (103 of 320) and 75.7% from the free throw line. As a team, San Jose State is collecting 34.5 boards per game and has racked up 191 dimes on the campaign, which ranks 182nd in the country in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession by turning the ball over 9.9 times per game and as a squad they commit 15.2 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Spartans are forcing 11.1 turnovers per contest and they draw 16.1 fouls. They are giving up 32.5% from 3-point land while they are 224th in D-1 in points per game allowed (72.6). The Spartans defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 45.0% (401 of 891) and they concede 34.1 boards per game as a team. They currently rank 324th in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 212 surrendered for the campaign.

The last time they took the court, the UNLV Rebels got the win with a final of 77-58 when they faced Air Force. When talking about team rebounding, UNLV allowed Air Force to collect 29 in total (9 offensive). They finished 22.9% from beyond the arc by going 8 of 35 and finished the contest at 12 of 20 from the free throw line (60.0%). The Rebels permitted Air Force to convert 19 of their 57 tries from the field which left them with a rate of 33.3% for this contest. When all was said and done, the Rebels finished shooting 28 out of 49 from the field which gave them a percentage of 57.1%. In terms of shots from beyond the perimeter, UNLV made 9 out of their 16 tries (56.3%). They were able to make 12 of the free throw tries for a rate of 52.2%. Air Force earned 15 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Rebels to the free throw line for 23 shots. They gave up possession of the ball 17 times, while getting 10 steals in the game. The Rebels collected 27 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 34 in the matchup.

Julian Rishwain was important for the Rebels in this game. He scored 16 points in his 26 minutes on the court, but wasn't able to notch an assist. He buried 5 out of 8 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 62.5%, and had 3 rebounds.

UNLV has a win-loss mark of 8-5 this year. The Rebels are committing 16.0 personal fouls every game and they hit 71.9% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 12.9 times per game (258th in the country) and they are losing possession via turnover 10.9 times per game. UNLV has tallied 950 points this season (73.1 per contest) and they collect 33.6 rebounds per contest. As an offensive unit, the Rebels are hitting on 46.0% from the field, which ranks them 145th in the country.

The Rebels on the defensive end are ranked 130th in Division 1 in points allowed per game with 69.2. They have forced 12.9 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 42.2% from the field (139th in college). The UNLV defense concedes 33.7% on shots from 3-point land (106 of 315) and opponents are knocking down 70.2% of their free throw shots. They allow 14.8 assists and 35.5 rebounds every game, which ranks 301st and 242nd in Division 1.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take UNLV

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