Halftime Report

After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Nevada looks much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a quick 33-28 lead against Utah State.

If Nevada keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 9-5 in no time. On the other hand, Utah State will have to make due with a 12-2 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who’s Playing

Utah State Aggies @ Nevada Wolf Pack

Current Records: Utah State 12-1, Nevada 8-5

How To Watch

• When: Tuesday, December 31, 2024 at 10 p.m. ET
• Where: Lawlor Events Center — Reno, Nevada
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Ticket Cost: $11.00

What to Know

We’ve got another exciting Mountain West matchup on schedule as the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Utah State Aggies are set to tip at 10:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Lawlor Events Center. The Wolf Pack are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 75.5 points per game this season.

The experts predicted Nevada would be headed in after a win, but Wyoming made sure that didn’t happen. Nevada fell just short of Wyoming by a score of 66-63 on Saturday. For those keeping track at home, that’s the closest defeat the Wolf Pack have suffered against the Cowboys since March 5, 2020.

Despite their loss, Nevada saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Kobe Sanders, who scored 15 points along with three steals, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Justin McBride, who had 11 points in addition to five rebounds and three blocks.

Meanwhile, Utah State slipped by San Diego State 67-66 on Saturday. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Aggies were down by 18 with 1:55 left in the first half.

Utah State can attribute much of their success to Mason Falslev, who had 16 points in addition to five steals.

This is the second loss in a row for Nevada and nudges their season record down to 8-5. As for Utah State, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 12-1.

Looking forward, Nevada is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 3.5 points. This contest will be their 14th straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 8-5 against the spread).

Tuesday’s contest is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Nevada just can’t miss this season, having made 49.3% of their field goals per game. However, it’s not like Utah State struggles in that department as they’ve made 48.7% of their field goals this season. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

Odds

Nevada is a 3.5-point favorite against Utah State, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Wolf Pack as a 2.5-point favorite.

The over/under is 143.5 points.

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

Series History

Utah State has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Nevada.

• Feb 06, 2024 – Nevada 77 vs. Utah State 63
• Feb 18, 2023 – Utah State 75 vs. Nevada 66
• Jan 13, 2023 – Nevada 85 vs. Utah State 70
• Feb 11, 2022 – Nevada 85 vs. Utah State 72
• Jan 29, 2022 – Utah State 78 vs. Nevada 49
• Feb 28, 2021 – Utah State 87 vs. Nevada 66
• Feb 26, 2021 – Utah State 75 vs. Nevada 72
• Jan 11, 2020 – Utah State 80 vs. Nevada 70
• Mar 02, 2019 – Utah State 81 vs. Nevada 76
• Jan 02, 2019 – Nevada 72 vs. Utah State 49