Michigan vs. UNLV NCAA Basketball Preview and Best Bet (Archive)
An undefeated team will be in action when the Roman Main Event tournament tips off in Las Vegas in the wee hours on Saturday morning, but it won’t be the one most people expected.
No. 4 Michigan is coming off a shocking two-point home loss to Seton Hall on Tuesday and enters the game at 2-1. The Wolverines also had a closer than expected 12-point win over Buffalo to start the year.
UNLV, meanwhile, has come out of the gate 3-0, with home wins over Gardner Webb, Cal and North Dakota State by a total of 11 points. The Rebels will be looking to continue their hot start against the toughest opponent they’ve faced so far.
Let’s see what the NCAAB odds have in store for this one.
Michigan Wolverines vs. UNLV Runnin’ Rebels
Saturday, November 20, 2021, 12:30 AM EST at T-Mobile Arena
Rebounding From Upset
Michigan appeared to have the Seton Hall game well in hand, leading by 11 points early in the second half. The Hall came back, however, and took its first lead since before halftime with just over a minute left.
The Wolverines struggled with turnovers, which were also a problem in a win over Prairie View A&M the previous game. Michigan turned it over on more than a quarter of its possessions in that game. While it wasn’t as high a rate against Seton Hall, it helped bring the Pirates back into the contest.
“Just taking care of the ball, making sure we get a shot every time down the floor, that’s crucial,” said Michigan guard Eli Brooks. “We just didn’t do a good job of valuing the basketball.”
Point guard DeVante’ Jones, a transfer from Coastal Carolina, had a team-high three turnovers in the loss. “I’m mad at myself,” he said. “I feel like I let the game slip.”
Michigan also struggled with shooting, hitting 42 percent from the field and 3-of-15 from three. The Wolverines are currently ranked No. 183 in the nation in three-point shooting. Brooks has been reliable from three, but freshman Caleb Houstan is just 5-of-16 and will need to find his outside stroke. He was 0-for-4 from three against the Hall and 1-of-9 from the field.
Grinding Out Wins
The Runnin’ Rebels are not living up to their name this year. UNLV is playing at a tempo ranked No. 243 in the country and relying on tough defense to win close, tight games. Vegas is No. 42 in the nation in effective field goal defense and has held opponents to 37.1 percent shooting.
Of course, UNLV is shooting even worse than that, at 36.2 percent, which explains all the nail biters against inferior opponents.
Vegas will look to leading scorer, senior Bryce Hamilton, who is averaging 17 ppg. Junior Donovan Williams added a career-best 15 points in the last game, and Vegas has an experienced cast of contributors, including seniors Jordan McCabe and Royce Hamm, who had 17 rebounds and a blocked shot at North Dakota State’s attempt to tie at the buzzer.
Nine of the 10 Rebels who have played this season are juniors and seniors. With wins in the first three games under new coach Kevin Kruger, UNLV has confidence heading into the Michigan game.
“We’re not going in feeling like an underdog,” said Williams. “We’re not going into Friday like, ‘Oh man, we’ve just got to hang around with these guys.’ We’re going in and we’re like, ‘We’re gonna win this game, we’re gonna put the world on notice—at UNLV we’re nothing to play with.’”
The Pick
The worst possible outcome for UNLV’s upset hopes was Michigan’s loss to Seton Hall on Tuesday. The blueprint for the Rebels involved springing a trap on home turf against an overconfident Wolverine team.
Instead, Michigan will be angry and focused and take out its early-season frustration on an up-and-coming but outclassed Vegas team so back the Wolverines for your college hoops pick tonight.
NCAAB Pick: Michigan -12.5 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.