Halftime Report

UTEP is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have jumped out to a quick 37-32 lead against UCSB.

UTEP has yet to string together two consecutive wins, but this may be their chance. For now, things are looking good for them.

Who's Playing

UTEP Miners @ UCSB Gauchos

Current Records: UTEP 2-1, UCSB 4-0

How To Watch

What to Know

The UTEP Miners will face off against the UCSB Gauchos at 10:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Thunderdome. The Miners might want some stickum for this one as the team gave up 18 turnovers last Tuesday.

UTEP took a loss when they played away from home last Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed last Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 78-58 margin over TX-Permian. The match was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 46-19.

Meanwhile, UCSB had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 31.7 points) and they went ahead and made it four on Sunday. They came out on top against the Spartans by a score of 64-59. That's two games straight that the Gauchos have won by exactly five points.

UCSB's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Cole Anderson led the charge by going 6 for 8 from beyond the arc en route to 18 points. Those six threes gave Anderson a new career-high. Kenny Pohto was another key player, dropping a double-double on ten points and ten rebounds.

UTEP now has a winning record of 2-1. As for UCSB, their win bumped their record up to 4-0.

Wednesday's matchup is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: UTEP has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 42.1% of their threes per game. However, it's not like UCSB struggles in that department as they've nailed 40% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

UTEP is hoping to beat the odds on Wednesday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. For those looking to play the spread, watch out: UTEP is playing on the road, but their 0-1 record against the spread as such isn't exactly encouraging.

Odds

UCSB is a big 7.5-point favorite against UTEP, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 7.5-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is 147 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

UTEP won the only game these two teams have played in the last year.

  • Nov 13, 2023 - UTEP 89 vs. UCSB 76