Utah Utes vs BYU Cougars Prediction, 12/17/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Utah Utes vs BYU Cougars

Date: Saturday, December 17, 2022

Location: Marriott Center in Provo, UT

TV: Hulu Live TV

The Utah Utes (9-2) are on their way to Marriott Center on Saturday where they will go up against the BYU Cougars (6-5).

The Utah Utes stepped onto the hardwood against UTSA and went home with a win by a final score of 91-65 in their last game. Utah walked away from the contest having earned a 52.2% field goal percentage (36 out of 69) and made 5 out of their 18 three-point shots. At the free throw line, the Utes buried 14 of their 17 tries for a percentage of 82.4%. With regard to pulling down rebounds, they collected 48 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 20 dimes in the matchup as well as forcing the opposition into 10 turnovers and getting 4 steals. In reference to defense, Utah allowed the other team to shoot 32.4% from the floor on 22 out of 68 shooting. UTSA doled out 6 assists and had 13 steals for this contest. Moreover, UTSA pulled down 40 rebounds (16 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. UTSA finished the game shooting 65.4% at the charity stripe by making 17 of their 26 shots. They made 4 of 30 attempts from beyond the arc. When it comes to fouls, the Utes finished with 18 while UTSA finished the game with 19 fouls.

Branden Carlson is someone who was a major factor in the matchup. He walked away from this one shooting 71.4% from the floor and dished out 1 assist. He played 24 minutes played and also totaled 8 boards. He ended up walking away with 27 points on 10 of 14 shooting.

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Utah steps onto the hardwood with a win-loss record of 9-2 for the year. They are turning it over 12.9 times per game and as a group are committing 15.6 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Utah is collecting 44.0 boards per game and has earned 174 dimes for the season, which ranks 47th in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Utes are shooting 39.1% from downtown (84 of 215) and 68.2% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 76.0 pts per contest (114th in college basketball) while hitting 46.8% from the field.

Defensively, the Utes are able to force 11.0 turnovers per game while drawing 17.3 fouls. They are ranked 109th in the country in giving up assists to their opponents with 117 relinquished so far this year. The Utes defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 34.4% (237 of 689) and they concede 35.0 boards per game as a group. They relinquish 25.4% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are ranked 21st in college basketball in points per game allowed (59.6).

The last time they took the hardwood, the BYU Cougars got the victory with a final of 83-80 against Creighton. In the matter of how they rebounded, BYU allowed Creighton to pull down 27 overall (4 offensive). They finished 37.0% from distance by hitting 10 out of 27 and finished the contest at 24 out of 32 at the free throw line (75.0%). The Cougars permitted Creighton to make 23 of 60 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 38.3% for the contest. When the final whistle blew, the Cougars finished 30 out of 67 from the field which had them shooting 44.8%. In terms of 3-point attempts, BYU knocked down 7 of their 24 attempts (29.2%). They were able to knock down 16 of those for a rate of 69.6%. Creighton was called for 21 fouls for the game which took the Cougars to the free throw line for 23 attempts. They gave up possession 19 times, while earning 8 steals for this contest. The Cougars pulled down 34 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds for a total of 48 for the matchup.

Rudi Williams was important for the Cougars for the contest. He made 8 out of 18 for the contest giving him a rate of 44.4%, and had 4 rebounds. He recorded 26 points in his 31 minutes on the hardwood and had 4 assists for this game.

BYU has a win-loss record of 6-5 on the season. As an offensive unit, the Cougars are connecting on 42.8% from the floor, which ranks them 259th in the country. BYU has 824 points for the campaign (74.9 per contest) and they pull down 40.3 boards per contest. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 14.8 times per contest (103rd in college basketball) and they cough up possession 15.9 times per contest. The Cougars commit 21.0 personal fouls every game and they connect on 67.0% from the charity stripe.

The BYU defense gives up 36.8% on 3-pointers (82 of 223) and their opponents are knocking down 68.6% of their foul shots. They have surrendered 13.1 assists and 33.9 rebounds every game, which is ranked 218th and 168th in those categories. The Cougars on the defensive end are ranked 273rd in D-1 in points given up per game with 72.8. They are able to force 15.3 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 43.8% from the floor (233rd in the nation).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Utah

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