UNLV Runnin’ Rebels vs. San Diego State Aztecs
Pick: Click here for expert college basketball picks | Bet: Click here to bet on this game | Odds: Click here for current odds

The Mountain West Conference will hold its annual championship game on Saturday night in Sin City, but the two competitors that were expected to play there, the New Mexico Lobos and BYU Cougars, were both bounced from the tournament on Friday night. Instead, it’ll be the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (25-7, 19-11 ATS) essentially playing host to the San Diego State Aztecs (24-8, 16-13 ATS) in this crucial college basketball betting battle. The MWC has to love the spot that it is in with this one, as the conference knows that it is almost certainly going to have four teams in the NCAA Tournament. There’s a chance that all four can be Top 8 seeds if the Aztecs go on to victory.

The Rebels will only go as far as G Tre’Von Willis takes them. The team’s leading scorer is pouring in 17.5 points per game, and at times, he is the only member of the offense that is capable of taking the crucial shots. Willis hasn’t had a particularly strong tournament, but it hasn’t been a bad one either, as he has scored 31 points in two games. However, he hasn’t come anywhere near his 4.1 rebounds or 3.6 assists per game, which will have to vastly improve if UNLV hopes to take the automatic ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

It’s amazing what one win can do for a club in March. The Aztecs went from being in big time bubble trouble to firmly in the field of 65 thanks to F Billy White and his team’s effort in the win against the Lobos on Friday. White, the team’s second leading scorer at 11.3 points per game, took over the college basketball betting proceedings, scoring 28 points for his second straight fantastic game in this tournament (15 vs. Colorado State). San Diego State is only conceding 59.3 points per game in its L/4 overall, and another great effort like that will surely send it dancing with the MWC crown.

This game may be played at the Thomas & Mack Center, where the Rebels call home, but the betting trends in this series all point towards the Aztecs. Even after just splitting the season series, San Diego State still owns a 4-1 SU and ATS record over UNLV over the L/2 seasons.

Visit Touthouse.com for more NCAA basketball picks from our professional sports handicappers. Be sure to sign-up for our free sports predictions newsletter for exclusive betting information from our experts. Preview Courtesy of North Shore Sports Inc.

If you enjoyed this article then you may be interested in:

1. NIT Tournament Betting: Baylor vs. San Diego State Odds & Picks: March 31st 2009
2. 2009 Mountain West College Football Predictions – 2009 Odds to Win Mountain West
3. College Basketball Betting: BYU vs. UNLV Odds & Pick: March 12th 2010
4. UNLV vs. Kansas: March Madness Odds & Picks
5. Wyoming vs. UNLV Betting Odds & Expert Picks: November 13th 2008