Colorado State vs. UNLV March 15 Free Pick
Colorado State and UNLV clash in the Mountain West Conference Semifinals in primetime. The two will meet at the Runnin’ Rebels’ home arena, the Thomas & Mack in downtown Las Vegas. The opening number for this clash has been set at 4.5 with a total at 136.
Free Pick
Dorian Green is out again for Colorado State tomorrow night, which is a big blow for the Rams. This means it
should be another slow, tough
night on the offensive end of the floor for the Rams, similar to how they played in the quarterfinals against
Fresno State. Colton Iverson is great in many different facets of the game and he will be leaned heavily on to
carry the load for CSU. He would have gotten my vote for Mountain West Player of the Year and is capable of
keeping the Rams in this game single-handedly. He was enough to get past Fresno State. I don’t know if he will
be enough to get it done against UNLV who is able to throw the trio of Khem Birch, Anthony Bennett and Mike
Moser at the Senior big man. The fresh bodies on Iverson will make life very tough for him on the interior in
what should be a very physical game.
On the other end of the floor, the Rams will not give UNLV the layup (dunk) lines that they had for about the majority of the game against Air Force in the quarter’s. Colorado State plays as hard as any team in the land and, more importantly, they limit you to one shot with superior defensive rebounding. Open looks won’t come easy for UNLV but I think it will be easy enough to get the win. These teams played at about a 65 possession pace in their last meeting (also at the Mack). I expect it to be even slower and equally inefficient in this one in a game that will feature a playoff-like atmosphere. Expect both teams to really buckle down defensively – Colorado State because that is how they have made it this far in the MWC to begin with, and UNLV after a concerted defensive effort to begin this Mountain West Tournament.
While I do expect UNLV to win this game, and I think the moneyline is a viable option in this one, the total is where the big value appears to be. These teams combined for 120 in their last meeting, and that was with a healthy Dorian Green – who is a huge part of what Colorado State does offensively. In a semifinal matchup, expect even more emphasis on defense and for this one to go under the posted 136 total.
Free Pick: CSU/UNLV Under 136