The Pepperdine Waves (3-3) travel to meet the UNLV Rebels (1-4) Monday for a 9:30 p.m. ET tip-off at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Below, we analyze the Pepperdine-UNLV college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Pepperdine at UNLV: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:05 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Pepperdine -160 (bet $160 to win $100) | UNLV +135 (bet $100 to win $135)
- Against the spread/ATS: Pepperdine -2 (-135) | UNLV +2 (+110)
- Over/Under: 149.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Pepperdine at UNLV: Three things to know
- Pepperdine is looking for redemption after a stunning 89-84 loss to Cal State-Northridge last time out, losing outright as 15.5-point favorites. It was yet another cautionary tale of why you never bet huge money lines in any sport, especially college hoops.
- The Waves have registered a win over California, and they took UCLA to overtime before a crushing bad beat non-cover in overtime on Nov. 27. This will be their second game against a Mountain West team this season.
- UNLV opened the season with an 0-4 SU mark, but only a loss to Montana State in the opener was considered a “bad” loss. They fell to North Carolina, Alabama and Davidson, so their record looks worse on the surface than it really is. They picked up a nice 68-59 win over Kansas State as three-point ‘dogs last time out on Dec. 5, and they have covered their past two after opening 0-2-1 ATS.
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Pepperdine at UNLV: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
UNLV 77, Pepperdine 75
Money line (ML)
UNLV (+135) is a value play at home, as Pepperdine (-160) is coming off a difficult loss. Both teams are battle-tested, and you can expect the “battle born” team from Nevada to pick up the win as short ‘dogs on their home hardwood here.
Against the spread (ATS)
UNLV +2 (+110) is still plus-money catching a bucket, although they’re a much better value just playing straight-up. However, if you feel strongly about Pepperdine winning by one, but UNLV still covering, then be my guest and bet it!
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 149.5 (-115) is the lean here, as Pepperdine has been a solid offense to date, posting 82.7 PPG to rank 51st in the nation. Defensively, they have yielded 73.3 PPG, so UNLV should be able to score.
The Rebs have had trouble filling up the basket lately, and they live and die by the three. They’re hitting at a 35.7 percent clip from behind the arc, which is their best aspect on offense. They have struggled from the field overall, and they’re a dismal 70.3 percent from the free-throw line. Defensively they have allowed 78.0 PPG.
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