The UTEP Miners (17-14, 8-10 CUSA) clash with the Marshall Thundering Herd (16-15, 10-8 CUSA) in the Conference USA Conference Tourney at Ford Center at The Star. The game starts at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 11, 2020.
Marshall opened as a 2.5-point favorite at BetRivers, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 142 points.
UTEP Miners vs. Marshall Thundering Herd Betting Prediction
The Miners will be hoping for a similar outcome after beating the Rice Owls in their last outing, 77-72, as 3-point underdogs. The combined points for the game (149) were over the O/U total of 138. The Miners held the Owls to an effective field goal percentage of 0.430 (below their season average of 0.520) and had a free throw rate of 0.316 (above their season average of 0.255). UTEP received a boost from Souley Boum, who was the top scorer from either team with 25 points on 6-for-15 shooting.
In the Thundering Herd’s last game, they beat the UTSA Roadrunners, 82-77, despite being 1.5-point underdogs. The game’s combined points (159) finished under the projected point total of 162.5. The Thundering Herd held the Roadrunners to an effective field goal percentage of 0.441 (below their season average of 0.494) and an offensive rebounding percentage of 18.4 (below their season average of 27.9). Mikel Beyers was Marshall’s top scorer with 20 points on 6-for-12 shooting from the field.
UTEP heads into the game with records of 17-14 straight up (SU) and 12-13-2 against the spread (ATS). Of the Miners’ 27 games that accepted bets, 17 have gone under the total.
Meanwhile, Marshall owns records of 16-15 SU and 16-14 ATS. Of the Thundering Herd’s 30 games that accepted bets, 16 have finished over the total.
Marshall might have difficulty finding the bottom of the net as they face off against one of the NCAA’s best defenses. UTEP currently ranks 60th in defensive efficiency, while the Thundering Herd rank 225th in offensive efficiency.
UTEP vs. Marshall Pick
Basketball Pick: ATS Winner – UTEP, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
UTEP ranks 74th in steals allowed per game (5.8) while Marshall ranks 227th (8.4).
The Thundering Herd rank 40th in rebounds per game (38.6) while the Miners rank 188th (34.6).
Marshall ranks sixth in blocks per game (5.9) while UTEP ranks 132nd (3.0).
The Thundering Herd rank 52nd in three pointers attempted per game (24.8) while the Miners rank 110th in three pointers allowed per game (20.7).
Marshall ranks 19th in assists allowed per game (10.1) while UTEP ranks 38th (10.7).
Over its last five contests, UTEP is 4-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Marshall is 4-1 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over its last five games.
The Miners’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 4.8, up from 1.6 for the season.
During their last five games, the Thundering Herd have scored an average of 80.2 points per game (4.6 above their season average) and allowed an average of 74.8 points per game (1.9 above their season average).