The Utah Utes and Arizona Wildcats meet Thursday in college basketball action at the McKale Center. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
The Utah Utes Betting Preview
The Utah Utes are averaging 70.5 points on 44.4 percent shooting and allowing 61.8 points on 38 percent shooting. Branden Carlson is averaging 16.5 points and 7.6 rebounds, while Gabe Madsen is averaging 11.7 points and 2.8 rebounds. Lazar Stefanovic is the third double-digit scorer and Marco Anthony is grabbing 6.7 rebounds. The Utah Utes are shooting 34.8 percent from beyond the arc and 71.5 percent from the free throw line. The Utah Utes are allowing 28.2 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 36 rebounds per game.
The Arizona Wildcats Betting Preview
The Arizona Wildcats are averaging 83.2 points on 48.8 percent shooting and allowing 71 points on 40.9 percent shooting. Azuolas Tubelis is averaging 20.2 points and 2.1 assists, while Oumar Ballo is averaging 14.7 points and 8.8 rebounds. Courtney Ramey is the third double-digit scorer and Kerr Kriisa is grabbing 2.5 rebounds. The Arizona Wildcats are shooting 36.8 percent from beyond the arc and 72.5 percent from the free throw line. The Arizona Wildcats are allowing 32.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 37.2 rebounds per game.
Utah vs Arizona Trends
The Utes are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 Thursday games. The Wildcats are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 home games and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The under is 4-1 in Utes last 5 overall. The over is 4-1 in Wildcats last 5 overall.
Randy’s Free Pick
The Arizona Wildcats are the more talented team, and they’ve been a buzz saw at home this season. I understand the line being what it is, but Utah is no pushover. Utah is one of the best defensive teams in the country and loses by an average of 3.9 points in the underdog role. Utah isn’t getting blown out often. Give me the points.