Sam Houston Bearkats vs UTEP Miners Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Sam Houston vs UTEP NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in El Paso.

Sam Houston vs UTEP Prediction

Don't miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Bearkats and Miners. The game is starting at 9:00 ET on ESPN+, and it's hosted by the Miners at Don Haskins Center in El Paso, TX. Get ready to place your bets! The over/under line for this matchup is currently at 146.5 points, and UTEP is favored by -5.5 to win at home against Sam Houston.

Sam Houston vs. UTEP Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Sam Houston Bearkats at UTEP Miners
Where: El Paso at Don Haskins Center
Date: Saturday, January 4th
Betting Odds UTEP -5.5, SMHO +180 | UTEP -225 O/U 146.5

Bearkats Preview: Is a Road Win Possible for the Bearkats?

Sam Houston fell to 4-7 on the season after a 75-71 loss to New Mexico State on Thursday. The Bearkats were slight favorites at -1 but couldn’t cover the spread in the road matchup.

Trailing 38-30 at halftime, Sam Houston put up 41 points in the 2nd half while allowing 37, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win. The total points for the game were 146, just under the O/U line of 149.5.

Bearkats Offense Breakdown

In their last game, the Bearkats put up 71 points, shooting 44.1% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 47.5%. They connected on just 4 of 15 three-point attempts, hitting 26.7% from deep, while shooting 50% on two-point shots (22/44). At the free-throw line, they made 15 of 22 attempts, good for 68.2%.

Christian Cook led the way with 25 points, despite shooting 42.1% overall and 28.6% from three. Peter Filipovity added 20 points and 7 rebounds, while Kalifa Sakho contributed 16 points and 13 boards, hitting 77.8% of his shots. Marcus Boykin chipped in 14 points and a team-high 6 assists.

Bearkats Team Defense

Sam Houston's defense gave up 75 points in their last game, allowing the opposition to shoot 41% from the field on 24 of 58 attempts. Inside the arc, the Bearkats allowed 51% shooting, with the other team hitting 17 of 33 two-point shots.

From three-point range, Sam Houston held their opponent to 28% shooting, as they made 7 of 25 attempts. However, the Bearkats sent the other team to the line 24 times, where they converted 20 free throws for 83%. Sam Houston also gave up 9 offensive rebounds.

Miners Preview: Will UTEP Win at Home?

UTEP Miners Recent Game/Games

UTEP improved to 8-3 on the season with a 70-60 win over Louisiana Tech on Thursday. The Miners, who were -2.5 favorites, covered the spread at home. The total points for the game were 130, falling short of the O/U line of 136.5.

UTEP led 36-27 at halftime and maintained their lead by scoring 34 points in the 2nd half while allowing 33 points to the Bulldogs.

Miners Offense Breakdown

UTEP managed to score 70 points in their latest game, despite shooting just 37.9% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 42.4%, with a particularly rough performance from beyond the arc, hitting only 6 of 29 threes for 20.7%. They were more efficient inside, connecting on 51.4% of their two-point attempts.

Otis Frazier III led the way with 21 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 50% overall, though he struggled from three, going 2 for 9. Corey Camper Jr. added 17 points, while Kaden Cooper contributed 14, hitting 4 of 9 from deep. UTEP also got a strong performance at the free-throw line, making 14 of 17 attempts for 82.4%.

Miners Team Defense

UTEP's defense held their opponent to 60 points, with a field goal percentage of 37% (25/66). They allowed 19 two-point field goals on 37 attempts, giving up a 51% shooting rate inside the arc.

From three-point range, UTEP's defense limited their opponent to 6 made threes on 29 attempts, a 20% shooting performance. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 17 times, where they converted 14 free throws, shooting 82%. UTEP gave up 11 offensive rebounds in the game.

Bearkats vs Miners Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Although Sam Houston has a straight up record of 0-3 in their last three road games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 0-3. The team averaged 73 points per game in these games.
When looking at their past five home matchups, UTEP has an ATS record of 3-2 while averaging 69 per game. The team went 2-3 overall in these games.
In their last three games as the betting underdog, the Bearkats have a straight up record of 0-3 and an ATS mark of 0-3.
Against the spread, the Miners have put together of 2-3 in their last five games as the betting favorite. In these same games, they went 5-0 straight up.