Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, UTEP looks much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a quick 32-23 lead against Tarleton State.
If UTEP keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 7-3 in no time. On the other hand, Tarleton State will have to make due with a 3-9 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Tarleton State Texans @ UTEP Miners
Current Records: Tarleton State 3-8, UTEP 6-3
How To Watch
What to Know
Texans fans better hope the squad plays one heck of a game on Monday as the odds are decidedly against them. They and the UTEP Miners will compete for holiday cheer at 9:00 p.m. ET at Don Haskins Center. The Texans are no doubt hoping to put an end to a five-game streak of away losses.
Tarleton State is headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week’s over/under low at 135.5, but even that wound up being too high. They took a 66-51 bruising from UCF last Sunday. Having soared to a lofty 90 points in the game before, the Texans’ point total in this one was quite the letdown.
Even though they lost, Tarleton State smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, UTEP unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Wednesday. They fell just short of Louisville by a score of 77-74. For those keeping track at home, that’s the closest defeat the Miners have suffered since February 3rd.
Corey Camper Jr. put forth a good effort for the losing side as he went 7 for 13 en route to 19 points plus two steals. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in three-point shooting accuracy (66.7%).
Tarleton State has fallen quite a ways from their 23-8 record last season and are now at 3-8. As for UTEP, their loss dropped their record down to 6-3.
Monday’s contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Tarleton State has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 37.2% of their threes per game. However, it’s not like UTEP struggles in that department as they’ve made 40.3% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
While UTEP and Tarleton State both let their fans down in their last outings, both still covered. As for their next game, the game looks promising for UTEP, as the team is favored by a full 15.5 points. Currently 5-2 against the spread, they have been a solid investment this season; on the other hand, Tarleton State is only 3-7 ATS.
Odds
UTEP is a big 15.5-point favorite against Tarleton State, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Miners as a 16.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 131.5 points.
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