Betsided

UNLV vs. Air Force Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Wednesday, Feb. 21 (Too Many Points for Underdog?)

By Reed Wallach

Feb 10, 2024; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; Air Force Falcons forward Chase Beasley (13) controls
Feb 10, 2024; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; Air Force Falcons forward Chase Beasley (13) controls / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

UNLV has been one of the more intriguing teams in the Mountain West conference this season, pulling a handful of upsets but also struggling at times to maintain its level.

This was apparent back on January 23rd when Air Force went to Las Vegas and beat UNLV 90-58 in one of the most shocking results of the season. Can UNLV turn it around in Colorado Springs on Wednesday night? The Rebels blew a late lead to Nevada at home over the weekend, snapping a five game winning streak, can the team bounce back?

Here's our full betting preview for UNLV vs. Air Force on Wednesday:

New FanDuel users, sign up below and get $150 in bonus bets when you win your first bet of just $5! Get started below

UNLV vs. Air Force Odds, Spread and Total

Air Force vs. UNLV Betting Trends

  • Air Force is 7-17 against the spread (ATS) this season
  • Air Force is 4-8 ATS as an underdog this season
  • UNLV is 13-9 ATS this season
  • Air Force has gone OVER in 18 of 24 games this season

UNLV vs. Air Force How to Watch

  • Date: Wednesday, February 21st
  • Game Time: 11:00 PM EST
  • Venue: Clune Arena
  • How to Watch (TV): Fox Sports 1
  • UNLV Record: 14-10
  • Air Force Record: 8-16

UNLV vs. Air Force Key Players to Watch

UNLV

Dedan Thomas: The freshman guard continues to be the workhorse of this Rebels backcourt, fourth in Mountain west assist rate while hitting nearly 38% from beyond the arc. He also has a knack for getting to the free throw line to help his averages, which sit at nearly 13 points and six assists on the year.

Air Force

Beau Becker: The power forward is a matchup nightmare for opponents, able to step out and hit three's at a high level. He is a 41% three-point shooter this season, taking more three's than twos, and also providing a threat as a passer as well. Can he replicate his performance at UNLV last month when he hit four of his six three's?

UNLV vs. Air Force Prediction and Pick

This is a tough matchup to peg as both teams play incredibly slow and aren't consistent whatsoever.

According to Haslametrics, both teams are outside the top 300 in terms of pace and are bottom 20 in consistency. Game-to-game, it's tough to tell what we will get from both teams.

However, I'm going to side with the home underdog. Air Force is reliant on the three-point shot, and while the team is 1-11 in Mountain West play, it will face a UNLV team that is strong at defending inside, but allows a high rate of three's in conference play, bottom four in three-point rate in league play.

I also don't trust UNLV to go on the road and engineer enough offense to get margin, the team is ninth in effective field goal percentage against league opponents. The team has scored one win by more than four points on the road in league play, against the worst MWC offense in San Jose State.

I believe Air Force can do enough to cover on Wednesday.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Track Reed's bets here!

Home/College Basketball Predictions and Picks