Utah Utes vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons Prediction, 11/16/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Utah Utes vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Date: Thursday, November 16, 2023

Location: TD Arena in Charleston, SC

TV: ESPN

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (1-1) will compete against the Utah Utes (2-0) at TD Arena on Thursday.

The Utah Utes faced off with UC Riverside and went home with a win by a final score of 82-53 in their last contest. Utah ended the game with a 48.5% FG percentage (32 out of 66) and converted 7 of 20 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Utes knocked down 11 of 15 tries for a percentage of 73.3%. Regarding getting rebounds, they earned a total of 47 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 22 assists for this game as well as forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and earning 3 steals. In reference to defense, Utah allowed the other team to shoot 30.8% from the floor on 20 out of 65 shooting. UC Riverside distributed 14 dimes and had 3 steals in this contest. Additionally, UC Riverside pulled down 28 rebounds (5 offensive, 23 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. UC Riverside went 71.4% at the charity stripe by making 5 of their 7 shots. They also knocked down 8 out of their 28 tries from beyond the arc. When it comes to personal fouls, the Utes ended up finishing with 13 while UC Riverside racked up 15 personal fouls.

Lawson Lovering is a guy who was a major contributor in the matchup. He accounted for 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting. He played for 22 minutes played and collected 7 rebounds. He ended up shooting 63.6% from the floor and totaled 3 assists.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Expert Picks

Utah steps onto the hardwood with a win-loss mark of 2-0 this season. They are averaging 91.5 points per contest (32nd in college basketball) while hitting 51.6% from the floor. The Utes are shooting 40.0% on shots from distance (18 of 45) and 69.8% from the charity stripe. As a team, Utah is collecting 50.0 boards per game and has earned 40 dimes so far this year, which ranks 159th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.0 times per game and as a team are committing 13.0 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Utes are able to force 11.0 turnovers per game while drawing 21.5 personal fouls. They are conceding 29.3% on 3-point shots and they rank 45th in college basketball in opponents points per game (59.5). The Utes defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 34.4% (45 of 131) and they surrender 29.0 boards per contest as a group. They rank 184th in college basketball in giving up assists with 32 surrendered for the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons took a loss by a score of 80-77 when they played Georgia. The Demon Deacons recorded 26 defensive boards and 9 offensive boards totaling 35 in the matchup. They gave up possession of the ball 12 times, while getting 3 steals for the matchup. Georgia was called for 15 personal fouls in this game which got the Demon Deacons to the charity stripe for 18 tries. They were able to make 16 of those for a percentage of 88.9%. In the matter of shooting from distance, Wake Forest made 11 of their 30 tries (36.7%). When the final whistle was blown, the Demon Deacons finished shooting 25 for 64 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 39.1%. The Demon Deacons allowed Georgia to bury 31 out of their 66 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 47.0% in this game. They finished 28.6% from beyond the perimeter by going 6 of 21 and ended up going 12 of 18 at the free throw line (66.7%). Concerning attacking the glass, Wake Forest allowed Georgia to get 34 overall (9 offensive).

Kevin Miller ended up being important for the Demon Deacons in this game. He earned 22 points in his 30 mins of playing time and accounted for 7 assists in this game. He knocked down 6 out of 15 for this game for a field goal percentage of 40.0%, and accumulated 6 rebounds.

Wake Forest has a mark of 1-1 on the campaign. When it comes to offensive execution, the Demon Deacons are connecting on 48.1% from the floor, which has them ranked 105th in college basketball. Wake Forest has accounted for 178 pts on the campaign (89.0 per game) and they pull in 39.0 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 12.0 times per contest (260th in college hoops) and they are losing possession via turnover 12.0 times per contest. The Demon Deacons are committing 16.0 fouls every game and they hit 89.7% from the charity stripe.

The Wake Forest defense allows 36.4% on shots from distance (16 of 44) and their opponents are connecting on 70.6% of their shots from the free throw line. They allow 10.5 assists and 30.0 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 112th and 56th in college hoops. The Demon Deacons on the defensive side of the court are 302nd in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 79.0. They are able to force 9.0 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 47.2% from the field (312th in D-1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Utah

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here