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Time to bust out the Keurig and make another cup of coffee as the Air Force Falcons square off with the Nevada Wolf Pack for some late-night fun. Join us for our College Basketball odds series where our Air Force-Nevada prediction and pick will be unveiled for all to see.
Currently in the midst of a four-game losing streak after being downed by Boise State on Tuesday, the Falcons enter play with a 12-11 record that includes a 3-5 mark in conference play. Despite finding themselves in the bottom half of the Mountain West standings, Air Force still has lots to play for with one month to go in regular season action.
When it comes to Nevada, the Wolf Pack are a mind-blowing and flawless 11-0 at home this season and have given their fans something too cheer for each and every time they suit up for play at Lawlor Events Center. With a record of 17-6 on the season and well on their way to capturing a March Madness berth, can Nevada avoid a massive letdown that would no doubt haunt them the rest of the year?
Here are the Air Force-Nevada college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Air Force-Nevada Odds
Air Force: +10.5 (-102)
Nevada: -10.5 (-120)
Over: 135.5 (-110)
Under: 135.5 (-110)
How To Watch Air Force vs. Nevada
TV: CBS Sports Network
Stream: CBS Sports App
Time: 11:00 ET/8:00 PT
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Air Force Could Cover The Spread
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Faced with the brutal truth that they are more often than not outsized when on the basketball court, the Falcons will need to rely on some electric play from the perimeter on both ends of the floor if they want to make this a game. On paper, Air Force's tallest player stands at 6'10” as the Falcons struggle in the rebounding department and also establishing ideal positioning when under the basket.
Nevertheless, the Falcons make up for their lack of size by attacking opposing teams with an aggressive mindset that often results in trips to the free-throw line. However, offense play is certainly not the Falcons' specialty as they instead pride themselves on defense where they only surrender 65.7 points per game. This is good for the third-lowest amount in the conference as this side of the floor will definitely be tested against an above-average offensive unit like the one that Nevada possesses.
Even so, the one statistic that defies all common sense is the fact that Air Force leads the Mountain West with 4.4 blocks per game, so be on the lookout for the Falcons to get their hands up to contest when shots go up.
Most importantly, Air Force's best players will need to show up in a big way especially since they are out on the road. Alas, guard Jake Heidbreder presents the biggest threat offensively to the Wolf Pack as the sophomore scorer is averaging a team-high 13.8 points per game thus far this season. If Heidbreder can knock a few of his shots in from the get-go, then the Falcons can truly implement an aggressive nature on defense.
Why Nevada Could Cover The Spread
In order for the covering of the spread to become a reality, it will be critical for Nevada to not give up second-chance opportunities for an Air Force squad that struggles to get their mitts on the basketball. While the Wolf Pack are not a tremendous rebounding team by any means, they recently kept the boards-margin close in their upset win over San Diego State en route to eliminating the amount of possessions that the Aztecs could come up with. As it stands, Nevada is ranked 285th in the nation when it comes to rebounds per game as this could be their Achilles' heel if they don't surround the game plan around this area of play.
Not to mention, but another critical factor that Nevada needs to take advantage of falls under the category of their free-throw shooting. In fact, no team within the Mountain West shoots with more efficiency than the Wolf Pack at the charity stripe, as Nevada has made 79% of their free throws. Furthermore, this could a gigantic edge for Nevada as they will most likely benefit from every free throw that they connect on. Settling for jumpers offensively won't be enough to get the job done in this one, so they will need to drive to the basket with the hope of scoring on easy layups or drawing fouls on Air Force.
If there is one name on this roster that can take over a game in the blink of an eye, then it is Oregon State transfer Jarod Lucas. After spending three years up in Corvallis and even leading the Beavers to an Elite Eight appearance a few short years ago, Lucas has quickly become Nevada's top scorer and is shooting almost 40% from way downtown.
Final Air Force-Nevada Prediction & Pick
No matter how hard Air Force fights to keep this a game tonight, it will end up being Nevada that hits some key buckets down the stretch to lead them to a double-digit victory.
Final Air Force-Nevada Prediction & Pick: Nevada -10.5 (-120)
