UNLV vs. Wichita State Betting Line
Carrie Stroup here with your UNLV vs. Wichita State betting line for Wednesday night Wichita St (-7.5), Total: 139.5
UNLV RUNNIN’ REBELS (7-1) at WICHITA STATE SHOCKERS (3-4)
UNLV visits Wichita State on Wednesday night, looking to snap the Shockers’ 34 game home winning streak in a Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge game.
The renewal of the Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge has been kind to the Mountain West, as UNLV looks to give their conference a third straight win, pushing the overall record to 5-2 for the MWC. The challenge has been restarted this season after an initial four year agreement between the two conferences (from 2009-2012).
Preseason No. 10 Wichita State hasn’t had it easy in the early going, dealing with a bad nagging hamstring injury for star senior G Fred Van Vleet (7.3 PPG, 3.7 APG) limiting him to just 17 minutes per game over his first three games. The shorthanded Shockers were in bad position to face BCS powers like USC, Iowa and Alabama in the AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando in late November and it showed, as the Shockers dropped all three games (0-3 ATS). VanVleet made his return in Wichita State’s most recent game, a 68-53 win at Saint Louis (Wichita -6), looking sharper in his 18 minutes with 11 points and 7 assists.
UNLV is fresh off a big home win over top 25 Oregon last Friday, 80-69 (UNLV +2). The Runnin’ Rebels only have one defeat on the season, and that defeat looks better by the day, with the loss coming to UCLA (in Maui) as the Bruins just toppled No. 1 Kentucky. The Runnin’ Rebels are 4-1 ATS on the year, and this will be UNLV’s first true road game of the season.
Wichita State is 1-4 ATS this season, but hasn’t played a home game with a line yet (wins over Emporia State and Charleston Southern by 22 and 25 points, respectively). Over the course of the Shockers’ 34 game streak at Charles Koch Arena, Wichita State is 16-10-2 ATS in that span, with their last home loss being Feb. 27th, 2013 versus conference foe, Evansville. Coach Gregg Marshall’s squad hasn’t lost a home non-conference game since Nov. 25th, 2011 (UAB), but will not only welcome UNLV on Wednesday but will play host to 7-1 Utah later this week.
While VanVleet looks to be good to go for Wednesday’s game, Shockers’ F Anton Grady (9 PPG, 6 RPG) will likely miss his third game due to a concussion he suffered in Orlando against Alabama.
With two wins over top 25 teams on their resume (Oregon and Indiana, who has since dropped out of the rankings) Coach Dave Rice’s young Runnin’ Rebels should be riding high coming into this road game. Surely, Coach Rice has informed them of how tough it is to win in Charles Koch Arena, which is most likely why UNLV is still an underdog despite their record.
UNLV is catching Wichita State at possibly it’s most vulnerable time in recent memory under Coach Gregg Marshall, and has size and athleticism that the Shockers’ Missouri Valley Conference cohorts can’t match.
It all starts with G Patrick McCaw (18.4 PPG, 46% 3PT), who won’t be the most heralded shooting guard in this game, but will most likely match up head-to-head with Shockers’ star Ron Baker and look to make a name for himself. At 6’7”, McCaw has the size, and defensive instincts (3.1 SPG) to give Baker lots of problems.
McCaw’s backcourt mate, senior G Jerome Seagears (12.1 PPG, 4.4 APG) got himself back into the fold with a bang in the win versus Oregon with 16 points after missing the previous game with illness. Seagears versus VanVleet will prove to be a compelling undercard in the backcourt, as a not-100% VanVleet could have issues with Seagears, a Rutgers transfer.
Any injury concerns coach Rice had with star freshman F Stephen Zimmerman Jr. (10.3 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 2.3 BPG) were put to rest by Zimmerman Jr’s 12 point, 12 rebound double-double in the win over Oregon. Zimmerman Jr. played 34 minutes and was aggressive from the field, taking a season-high 14 shots, while blocking 4 shots on defense.
UNLV will also be in great shape if they get another great performance from G Ike Nwamu (8.6 PPG) who lit up Oregon for a season-high 19 points (7-9 FG, 5-7 3PT). Nwamu has switched off having good games and terrible ones, something coach Rice hopes doesn’t continue on trend for Wednesday evening (all 14 of Nwamu’s threes have come in four games).
A mostly-healthy VanVleet, seemingly over the hump with a lingering hamstring injury, is just the sight that the faithful in Wichita needed to see during the win at Saint Louis on Saturday. In VanVleet’s absence, G Ron Baker (17.4 PPG, 39.6 3PT) has carried the offensive load, as the next highest (active) scorer on Wichita State is F Markis McDuffie (7.7 PPG). Having to assume playmaking duties in Orlando hampered Baker’s efficiency as he committed four turnovers each against USC and Iowa, while shooting only 14-41 for the three game tournament. With VanVleet back, Baker was able to shoot a solid 6-10 on the way to 14 points against Saint Louis.
Wichita State has struggled mightily on the glass without Grady, their best interior player, grabbing 30 and 27 rebounds respectively in the two games he’s been out. Baker and F Rashard Kelly (4 PPG, 4.1 RPG) lead the team in rebounding after Grady’s six per game.
Coach Marshall will have to rely on his trademark defensive pressure and deep rotation (8 players averaging 10+ minutes per game – not counting Grady and injured freshman F Landry Shamet). Sophomore F Zach Brown (5.9 PPG), while not a rebounding threat, has stepped in to replace Grady’s offensive production, scoring 14 and 10 points in extended playing time over the last two contests. 6’7” 250 lb F Shaquille Morris (5.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG) will also need to contribute as he did against Saint Louis (12 points, 6-7 FG, 6 rebounds) in a starting role.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
