The Nevada men’s basketball team hosts UNLV on Friday night. Nevada Sports Net’s Chris Murray breaks down the game with his three keys to victory and prediction. This feature is presented in partnership with Bradley, Drendel & Jeanney.

UNLV (10-10, 5-4 MW) at Nevada (15-6, 7-3)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Where: Lawlor Events Center (11,536 capacity)

TV/Radio: CBS Sports Network/95.5 FM

Online: None

Betting line: No line posed yet

Three keys for Nevada to win

1. Win the paint battle: The battle down low will be big as UNLV is a poor shooting team (31.1 percent from three, 316th in the nation) but has been pretty effective from two (53.6 percent). Meanwhile, Nevada has been poor finishing around the rim (50.9 percent on close twos), with UNLV having good rim protection (8.2 percent block rate, 75th in the nation) but giving up a high shooting percent on twos. Both teams also get to the free throw line a ton – 25.9 attempts per game for UNLV and 25.5 attempts for Nevada. These are physical teams down low, and the team that executes the best without fouling in the paint will have a good chance of winning this game.

2. Run off Rebels’ miscues: UNLV creates 14.1 turnovers per game, but that should be an issue for Nevada, whose 13.7 percent turnover rate ranks 17th in the country. Where the Wolf Pack could take advantage of UNLV is in forcing turnovers and scoring in transition. Nevada doesn’t create a lot of steals, doing so on 9.8 percent of opponent possessions (144th nationally). But the Wolf Pack has been much more effective in pushing on the fastbreak off turnovers this year than it was last season, with Tayshawn Comer and Chuck Bailey III doing an excellent job in this area. UNLV turns the ball over almost 13 times per game, and with Nevada’s halfcourt offense bogged down at times, scoring in transition is a point of emphasis.

3. Don’t let Tyrin Jones go wild: Jones has been one of the MW’s best freshmen this season and draws parallels to former UNLV star Shawn Marion. The 6-foot-9, 190-pound Jones is averaging 10.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, adding 38 blocks and 23 steals. He’s a stat stuffer who plays with a ton of energy. In UNLV wins, Jones is averaging 12.9 points on 59.7 percent shooting while making 60 percent of his free throws. In UNLV losses, Jones is averaging 8.1 points on 51.7 percent shooting while making 38.9 percent of his free throws. A high-ceiling player who can be erratic at times, Jones is a major X-factor for the Rebels, who have been one of the MW’s most inconsistent teams.

Prediction

Nevada 83, UNLV 70: The Rebels are one of two MW teams with at least one win and at least one loss in the Quad 1, 2, 3 and 4 category, the other being Grand Canyon, the team Nevada just played. The Rebels’ inconsistency makes this a hard game to pin down. On one hand, UNLV beat Utah State, Stanford and Memphis on the road while taking out Boise State at home. On the other hand, UNLV lost to Tennessee Martin, Tennessee State, Montana and Fresno State (all at home). Who knows which UNLV team will show up. The Rebels are capable of upsetting Nevada but haven’t played consistent enough defense to expect a road win in Reno. Season record: 15-6

Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at crmurray@sbgtv.com or follow him on Twitter at @ByChrisMurray.