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No. 3 Arizona favored big at UNLV Tuesday
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Published: 12/23/2014  at  4:19:00 AM
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ARIZONA WILDCATS (12-0)

at UNLV REBELS (7-3)

Thomas & Mack Center – Las Vegas, NV
Tip-off: Tuesday, 10:00 p.m. ET
Line: Arizona -13

No. 3 Arizona has another difficult road game on the schedule as it visits UNLV on Tuesday night.

The unbeaten Wildcats (6-6 ATS) have done a very good job of overcoming a big roster turnover to the NBA draft, in large part because of the defense. Arizona enter Tuesday night’s game allowing only 59.4 PPG on 39.0% FG. That is a huge number to look at because UNLV is 3-15 ATS when scoring less than 60 points in the past three seasons. The Wildcats have also done a great job covering huge spreads the past few seasons, going 19-10 ATS when favored by double-digits. For the Rebels (3-6 ATS) to have a chance in this game, UNLV can’t turn the ball over and let Arizona get out in the open floor. But the Wildcats are 3-11 ATS in road games when they have an even or negative turnover margin. Arizona can have problems scoring in the half-court set, so UNLV must be smart with the ball, and not give the Wildcats easy points. There are no significant injuries to either team.

Can Arizona cover the big spread on the road? For the latest college basketball picks, check out The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks. The five experts are led by StatFox Gary's strong 60% ATS record (18-12), while StatFox Zach is 57% ATS (17-13) and StatFox Brian is 53% ATS (16-14) to open the season.

The Wildcats have continued to do enough to remain undefeated, but Sean Miller’s team has found itself in some competitive games this season. Arizona has four wins by five points or less, including a 3-point overtime victory against Gonzaga. Arizona has done a great job shooting the ball this year, as the team rank eighth in the nation in shooting (50.7% FG). The Wildcats also rank 33rd in scoring (77.1 PPG), 56th in assists (15.3 APG) and 106th in rebounding (37.0 RPG). There are plenty of players on Arizona that can score the ball, but the leader is freshman SF Stanley Johnson (14.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG). Johnson has the body of an NBA player, making him extremely difficult for opponents to matchup with. If you put a guard on him, he is simply too big and strong, but he also has the ability to put the ball on the floor and blow by the defender. He fits the Arizona offense perfectly, as he is at his best when running the floor. SF Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (11.9 PPG, 6.5 RPG) is similar to Johnson with his size and athleticism, and he will be looking to bounce back after struggling Friday against UTEP with just six points on 2-of-7 shooting. One of the most underrated players in all of college basketball is PG T.J. McConnell (7.1 PPG, 6.3 APG, 4.5 RPG). He does not put up the type of numbers that jump off the page, but this Arizona team would not be the legitimate national title contender it is without him. He is a pass-first point guard, and does a great job of finding his teammates when they have the best opportunity to score. McConnell is coming off a well-rounded performance on Friday with nine points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals. If UNLV is able to slow him down and not let him get going early, then they have a great chance of hanging around in this game.

UNLV enters this game ranked 62nd in the nation in rebounding (38.3 RPG), 153rd in assists (13.2 APG), 162nd in shooting (43.9% FG) and 190th in scoring (67.5 PPG).The Rebels will be looking for their first victory of the season against a Pac-12 school, as the team is 0-3 against the conference this season. UNLV has also struggled against top-10 teams, going 1-12 SU in the past 13 instances, but the Rebels do lead the all-time series against Arizona, 11-7 SU. UNLV has one of the top freshmen scorers in college basketball in SG Rashad Vaughn (17.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG). He has been even better at home, as he is averaging 24.0 PPG in four home games. While he struggled against the other Pac-12 schools, this is the type of game in front of his home crowd where he could explode. PF Christian Wood (12.9 PPG, 9.6 RPG) is another young player who is showing signs of being a potential star. He has great length and athleticism down low for the Rebels, and he will be asked to keep an Arizona team off the glass that outrebounds its foes by 8.3 RPG.


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