Utah Utes vs Washington State Cougars Prediction, 1/21/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Utah Utes vs Washington State Cougars

Date: Thursday, January 21, 2021

Location: Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, WA

TV: PAC12

Odds/Point Spread: Utah (-3)

The Utah Utes (5-6) travel to Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum on Thursday where they'll meet the Washington State Cougars (9-4). Washington State opens this contest as 3-point underdogs. The O/U opens at 131.5.

Utah enters this one with a record of 5-6 this year. They currently have an average of 68.9 points per outing (252nd in D-1) while going 43.8% from the floor. The Utes are connecting on 30.3% on three-point attempts (67 of 221) and 73.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Utah is snagging 33.1 rebounds per game and has racked up 170 assists for the season, which is 131st in Division 1 in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 12.0 times per contest and as a group they commit 17.7 fouls every game. When they are on defense, the Utes are forcing their opponents into 14.5 turnovers per game while drawing 17.7 fouls. They give up 32.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 81st in college basketball in opponents PPG (66.2). The Utes defensively are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 42.2% (260 of 616) and they concede 36.4 rebounds per game as a group. They are currently ranked 175th in college basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 145 relinquished for the year.

The Utah Utes stepped onto the hardwood against the California Golden Bears and went home with a loss by a final score of 72-63 in their last game. Utah finished the contest having earned a 41.2% field goal percentage (21 of 51) and converted 6 of their 23 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the charity stripe, the Utes buried 15 of 16 tries for a percentage of 93.8%. In regard to hauling in boards, they earned 28 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 16 assists in this matchup in addition to having 4 steals and 2 blocks. In the matter of the defense, Utah allowed 41.2% from the field on 21 out of 51 shooting. California earned 12 assists and had 6 steals in this matchup. Moreover, the Golden Bears snagged 27 rebounds (6 offensive, 21 defensive) and had 2 blocks. California ended up shooting 73.7% at the free throw line by converting 14 of 19 tries. They also made 8 of their 24 shots from 3-point land.

Timmy Allen is one guy who was a major factor in the matchup. He recorded 26 points on 8 out of 15 shooting. He was on the court for 35 minutes and also snagged 6 rebounds. Allen finished the game at 53.3% from the field and also distributed 5 assists. An additional guy that was a factor in the matchup for the Utes was Pelle Larsson. He grabbed 6 rebounds and tallied 4 dimes. He finished the contest at 50.0% from the floor for the game by hitting 5-of-10 (12 points). At the conclusion of this game, Larsson saw the court for 33 minutes.

Washington State has a win-loss record of 9-4 this season. Washington State has totaled 901 points so far this year (69.3 per game) and they pull down 40.0 rebounds per game. The Cougars commit 17.5 fouls per contest and they hit 67.6% from the free throw line. As an offense, the Cougars are hitting on 41.4% from the floor, which is ranked 294th in the nation. Their rate of earning assists is at 11.2 times per contest (301st in the country) and they turn the ball over 14.9 times per contest. The Cougars defensively are ranked 76th in Division 1 in points allowed per game with 66.0. They are forcing their opponents into 12.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 37.8% from the floor (12th in the nation). The Washington State defense gives up 27.8% on shots from behind the 3-point line (78 of 281) and their opponents are converting on 70.6% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 12.1 assists and 37.5 boards per game, which is 122nd and 274th in those defensive categories.

The last time they took the court, the Washington State Cougars walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 85-77 against the USC Trojans. The Cougars were able to pull down 23 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds totaling 30 in this contest. They stuffed 5 attempts while getting 5 steals for this contest. The Trojans earned 16 fouls in this contest which got the Cougars to the charity stripe for 18 shots. They were able to knock down 13 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 72.2%. In regard to three-point shots, Washington State converted 8 of their 23 tries (34.8%). Overall, the Cougars finished shooting 28 out of 57 from the field which had them shooting 49.1%. The Cougars permitted the Trojans to knock down 32 of their 69 attempts from the field which left them shooting 46.4% in this matchup. They shot 31.6% from three-point range by connecting on 6 of 19 and finished the contest at 15 out of 29 at the charity stripe (51.7%). Regarding attacking the glass, Washington State permitted USC to grab 31 in all (10 offensive).

Isaac Bonton was important for the Cougars for the matchup. He made 10 of 21 in this game for a field goal rate of 47.6%, which earned him 27 points. Bonton pulled down 2 rebounds in his 37 mins played and had 4 assists in the matchup. One more player that ended being a contributor for Washington State was Dishon Jackson. He ended up scoring 14 points in 34 minutes on the court via 6 out of 9 from the floor in this game. Jackson walked away from this one going 66.7% from the floor while earning 2 assists and 7 total rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Utah (-3)

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