Grand Canyon vs Utah Valley 3/3/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Utah Valley Wolverines will travel to GCU Arena to take on the Grand Canyon Antelopes this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The Utah Valley Wolverines won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 19-9 on the season after defeating the California Baptist Lancers, 63-54, this past Saturday. Utah Valley was outstanding defensively against California Baptist and was able to pull away in the 2^nd half after taking a 51-39 lead with 6:01 left in regulation. Utah Valley shot 39.1% from the field & 22.2% from beyond the arc while holding California Baptist to 32.3% shooting from the field & 14.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Wolverines was Fardaws Aimaq who had a double-double with 20 points, 16 rebounds, & 2 blocks.

On the season, Utah Valley is averaging 72.6 ppg on 45.7% shooting from the field. The Wolverines are averaging 6.5 three-pointers per game on 37.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Utah Valley has been led by Fardaws Aimaq (19.2 ppg, 13.9 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.4 bpg), Justin Harmon (11.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.0 spg), Connor Harding (10.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.0 apg), & Le’Tre Darthard (10.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.4 apg).

Defensively, Utah Valley is holding their opponents to an average of 65.2 ppg on 39.2% shooting from the field. The Wolverines have a rebound margin of 8.6 and a turnover margin of -4.1.

The Grand Canyon Antelopes won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 20-7 on the season after defeating the Sam Houston Bearkats, 67-41, this past Saturday. Grand Canyon was lights out on the defensive end against Sam Houston and had no trouble picking up the victory after going into halftime with a 35-22 lead. Grand Canyon shot 45.1% from the field & 50.0% from beyond the arc while holding Sam Houston to just 25.8% shooting from the field & 10.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Antelopes was Jovan Blacksher Jr. who had 18 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, & 1 steal.

On the season, Grand Canyon is averaging 71.3 ppg on 43.4% shooting from the field. The Antelopes are averaging 8.3 three-pointers per game on 35.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Grand Canyon has been led by Jovan Blacksher Jr. (16.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.8 spg), Holland Woods (13.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.0 spg), Gabe McGlothan (9.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg), & Sean Miller-Moore (7.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.3 apg).

Defensively, Grand Canyon is holding their opponents to an average of 61.0 ppg on 38.2% shooting from the field. The Antelopes have a rebound margin of 6.2 and a turnover margin of -0.4.

The Wolverines are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall, however, are just 2-5 ATS in their last 7 Thursday games. The Antelopes are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 Thursday games & 21-7 ATS in their last 28 home games.

Utah Valley has won 4 of their last 5 games and arguably the best player in the conference in Fardaws Aimaq, however, the Wolverines have struggled a bit on the road this season, posting just a 6-7 record, while also losing to Grand Canyon by a 79-69 margin at home in mid-February. Grand Canyon is 13-2 at home this season, led by a defense that ranks 15^th in scoring defense & 7^th in defensive FG%, and as I think the Antelopes have similar success that we saw in their first matchup against the Wolverines, I’m taking Grand Canyon to cover this home spread. Good luck!