Mountain West Tournament Picks - #14 BYU vs. UNLV
by Tim Furious
If you need a late night betting fix to keep your midnight oil burning, then look no further than the BYU-UNLV tilt in the Mountain West Tournament. The second-seeded BYU Cougars may be a highly touted team, but they have never enjoyed success against the Rebels.
With a tight betting line and a big TOTAL to clear, the Cougars will have their hands full as they try to bolster the betting faith behind them as a tournament pick.
The Rebels aren’t going to come up in conversation outside of the region when it comes to college ball, but tonight they have a chance to finally gain some cred. A 7-3 SU/ATS record against BYU was padded by a 2-0 ATS and 1-1 SU record against the Cougars this season.
They’ve ripped off five consecutive wins, and are 3-2 ATS during that run. Don’t fault them too much. They were two-points shy of clearing a 20-point monster spread against Wyoming and a half-point away from clearing a 12.5-point line against Utah.
#14 Brigham Young Cougars (29-4) vs. UNLV Rebels (24-7)
Friday, March 12th
Thomas & Mack Center --- 11:30pm EST
College Basketball Betting Line: UNLV -1 (147)
The main, and possibly only, reason to stand behind BYU tonight is because of Jimmer Fredette, who is having an astounding season. With 21.4 points per game, coupled with 4.7 helpers, Fredette is the central cog of BYU’s offense which ranks second in the nation averaging 83.5 points per game.
In the past five games, the Cougars have propelled themselves to a 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS record which included big wins over TCU and Utah. They know that UNLV will come ready to play, boasting all sorts of confidence based on the history of the series between the two. BYU simply can’t get caught looking ahead to a possible rematch with the top-seeded New Mexico Lobos.
Yet BYU can’t hope to beat UNLV with just a one-man wrecking crew. Teams that are centered around one star usually fade to black in tournament play, and losing momentum if Fredette falters is a risk that BYU has to take. There’s simply no other player on the roster who can step up to fill the deficit on the scoreboard if Jimmer is having an off night. That’s why I’m not risking my money on BYU. I like the UNLV Rebels as a betting force right now too much to risk siding with the Cougars as my Mountain West betting pick. I want to be able to sleep tonight without haunts of a loss in the sportsbook.
Furious Free Pick: UNLV +1 (OVER) > > SIGN UP HERE!
