Halftime Report

Only one more half stands between UTEP and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have jumped out to a quick 36-27 lead against La. Tech.

UTEP entered the match having won four straight and they're just one half away from another. Will they make it five, or will La. Tech step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.

Who's Playing

La. Tech Bulldogs @ UTEP Miners

Current Records: La. Tech 11-2, UTEP 10-3

How To Watch

What to Know

La. Tech has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They and the UTEP Miners will face off in a Conference USA battle at 9:00 p.m. ET on Thursday at Don Haskins Center. Both are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

La. Tech is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They simply couldn't be stopped two weeks ago as they easily beat Rust College 108-60. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 52-30.

La. Tech smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Rust College only pulled down seven.

Meanwhile, UTEP waltzed into their contest on Saturday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They put the hurt on the Eagles with a sharp 79-60 win. The Miners have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matchups by 19 points or more this season.

Among those leading the charge was Otis Frazier III, who posted 12 points plus seven assists and seven steals. Those seven assists gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Derick Hamilton, who posted 11 points plus five rebounds.

La. Tech pushed their record up to 11-2 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. As for UTEP, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 10-3 record this season.

Thursday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: La. Tech has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.7 rebounds per game. It's a different story for UTEP, though, as they've been averaging only 29.6. Given La. Tech's sizable advantage in that area, UTEP will need to find a way to close that gap.

La. Tech is hoping to beat the odds on Thursday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. They might be worth a quick bet since they're sitting on a four game streak of covering the spread when playing as the underdog.

Odds

UTEP is a slight 1.5-point favorite against La. Tech, 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 1.5-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is 138.5 points.

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Series History

La. Tech has won 7 out of their last 10 games against UTEP.

  • Feb 22, 2024 - La. Tech 65 vs. UTEP 59
  • Jan 25, 2024 - La. Tech 68 vs. UTEP 54
  • Jan 07, 2023 - La. Tech 60 vs. UTEP 58
  • Dec 17, 2022 - UTEP 60 vs. La. Tech 55
  • Feb 17, 2022 - UTEP 63 vs. La. Tech 60
  • Jan 06, 2022 - La. Tech 64 vs. UTEP 52
  • Jan 23, 2021 - La. Tech 73 vs. UTEP 55
  • Jan 22, 2021 - UTEP 82 vs. La. Tech 74
  • Jan 11, 2020 - La. Tech 64 vs. UTEP 61
  • Feb 14, 2019 - La. Tech 71 vs. UTEP 57