The top-seeded Sam Houston Bearkats (21-11) square off against the fifth-seeded UTEP Miners (17-15) in the semifinals of the 2024 Conference USA Tournament on Friday at 12:30 p.m. ET at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala., on CBS Sports Network. Sam Houston is a 5.5-point favorite in the latest UTEP vs. Sam Houston odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 133.5 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page). 

Before making any UTEP vs. Sam Houston picks, you need to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters 2024 conference championship week on a 145-104 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 28-18 (+820) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen HUGE returns!

The model knows junior guard Lamar Wilkerson helps power the Bearkats' attack. He has reached double-digit scoring in eight of the past nine games, including a 25-point, two-rebound and two-assist effort in a 79-58 win at New Mexico State on Feb. 22. He scored 11 points and grabbed six boards in Wednesday's quarterfinal win over Florida International.  

The model also knows the Miners are paced by senior guard Tae Hardy. The fifth-year player in his second season at UTEP, has played in 31 games, all starts, and is averaging 15.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.7 steals in 33 minutes. In Thursday's come-from-behind win over Liberty in the quarterfinals, he scored 11 points and grabbed four rebounds.  

Now, the model has set its sights on UTEP vs. Sam Houston. We can tell you the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in over 50% of simulations! 

Who wins UTEP vs. Sam Houston, and which side of the spread hits in over 50% of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the spread you should be all over, all from that's on a 28-18 roll on top-rated college basketball spread picks!