BYU Cougars vs Utah Utes Prediction, 12/9/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: BYU Cougars vs Utah Utes

Date: Saturday, December 9, 2023

Location: Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, UT

TV: PAC12

The Utah Utes (6-2) welcome the BYU Cougars (8-0) at Jon M. Huntsman Center on Saturday.

The BYU Cougars took the court against Evansville and walked away with a win by a score of 96-55 in their last game. BYU ended the game with a 52.9% field goal percentage (36 of 68) and buried 14 of 32 shots from downtown. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Cougars made 10 of 17 tries for a percentage of 58.8%. With regard to grabbing boards, they collected a total of 43 with 11 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 26 assists in the matchup as well as forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In terms of defense, BYU let their opponent shoot 33.3% from the floor on 22 out of 66 shooting. Evansville doled out 16 assists and had 4 steals for the game. Moreover, Evansville grabbed 28 rebounds (8 offensive, 20 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Evansville finished the game at 60.0% at the free throw line by knocking down 6 of 10 attempts. They also made 5 of their 29 tries from three-point range. When it comes to fouls, the Cougars walked away with 15 while Evansville finished the game with 14 fouls.

Jaxson Robinson is someone who was important in the game. He accounted for 19 points on 7 of 13 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 22 minutes and snagged 3 rebounds. He ended up shooting 53.8% from the floor and earned 2 assists.

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BYU will take the court with a record of 8-0 so far this season. They turn it over 10.6 times per contest and as a unit they commit 16.6 fouls per game. As a unit, BYU is snagging 45.6 boards per contest and has earned 179 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 4th in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Cougars are shooting 39.2% on three-point attempts (103 of 263) and 74.8% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 91.9 points per outing (4th in the country) while connecting on 49.4% from the field.

On defense, the Cougars are able to force 13.3 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 15.5 fouls. They are surrendering 22.4% from 3-point land while they are 8th in the nation in points per game from their opponents (59.0). The Cougars defensively are allowing a shooting percentage of 38.9% (183 of 471) and they surrender 29.9 boards per game as a team. They rank 39th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 82 surrendered on the year.

The last time they took the court, the Utah Utes got the win with a final of 88-86 against Southern Utah. The Utes pulled down 25 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards totaling 32 for the contest. They gave up possession of the ball 10 times, while recording 8 steals for the matchup. Southern Utah earned 23 fouls in this contest which got the Utes to the free throw line for 21 attempts. They were able to convert 15 of the free throws for a rate of 71.4%. Pertaining to three-point attempts, Utah converted 5 of 17 attempts (29.4%). When the final whistle blew, the Utes shot 34 for 63 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 54.0%. The Utes allowed Southern Utah to bury 30 of 60 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 50.0% for the contest. They shot 46.2% from beyond the perimeter by going 12 out of 26 and walked away from this one shooting 14 of 19 at the free throw line (73.7%). In relation to rebounding, Utah allowed Southern Utah to collect 22 in all (5 on the offensive glass).

Keba Keita was important for the Utes in this matchup. He knocked down 11 of 12 for this game for a rate of 91.7%, and totaled 8 rebounds. He tallied 23 points in his 24 minutes on the hardwood, but finished this game without an assist.

Utah has a record of 6-2 on the season. On the offensive side of the court, the Utes are connecting on 48.1% from the field, which ranks 51st in the country. Utah has accounted for 653 pts this year (81.6 per contest) and they grab 39.3 boards per game. They are earning an assist 17.0 times per game (39th in the nation) and they turn it over 11.9 times per game. The Utes commit 15.0 fouls per contest and they connect on 71.3% from the free throw line.

The Utes on defense are ranked 211th in D-1 in PPG given up with 72.4. They are forcing their opponents into 10.9 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.3% from the field (217th in college hoops). The Utah defense gives up 35.9% on shots from beyond the arc (78 of 217) and opponents are knocking down 63.4% of their free throw shots. They concede 14.5 dimes and 32.6 boards on a nightly basis, which is ranked 302nd and 77th in the country.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Utah

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