Pepperdine and UNLV are both looking to take the next step forward in being among the best teams on the West Coast and will have a battle in Sin City on Monday to build their résumés.
Pepperdine has a pair of players registering at least 20 points per game in Colbey Ross and Kessler Edwards, with Ross’ 7.8 assists per game 12th among all Division I players entering the week.
UNLV’s offense is centered around shooting 3-point shots, as 52.4 percent of their shots come from beyond the arc, which is the seventh-highest rate in the country. The high percentage of outside shooting has not allowed for second-chance opportunities, as the team is 260th among the 313 Division I teams that had played another Division I team entering this week.
Neither team enters this game locking down on defense, as both are in the bottom 100 in points given up on a per-possession basis, but Pepperdine’s biggest strength is defending the outside shot, ranking 31st among Division I teams in 3-point shooting defense.
With the Waves also ranking third in free throw shooting percentage, making 85.7 percent of them, what has been a rough 1-4 start to the season for UNLV does not figure to get better on Monday.
The Play: Pepperdine, -1