Washington State Cougars vs Utah Utes Prediction, 12/29/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Washington State Cougars vs Utah Utes

Date: Friday, December 29, 2023

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

TV: PAC12

Jon M. Huntsman Center is where the Utah Utes (9-2) will compete against the Washington State Cougars (9-2) on Friday.

The Washington State Cougars faced off with Boise State and earned the victory with a final of 66-61 in their last game. In reference to personal fouls, the Cougars walked away with 14 and Boise State accounted for 18 personal fouls. They also made 5 of 20 attempts from 3-point land. Boise State went 76.9% when shooting free throws by burying 10 of 13 tries. In addition, Boise State pulled down 35 rebounds (6 offensive, 29 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Boise State distributed 8 dimes and had 5 steals in this game. When it comes to defense, Washington State allowed 35.9% from the field on 23 of 64 shooting. They also recorded 9 assists for this contest while forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In regard to rebounding, they collected 37 with 4 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Cougars made 14 of 18 attempts for a rate of 77.8%. Washington State ended the game having earned a 42.9% FG percentage (24 of 56) and converted 4 of 14 3-point attempts.

Isaac Jones is someone who was important for the game. He left the arena with 21 points on 7 of 13 shooting. He saw the court for 35 minutes played and pulled down 5 boards. He walked away from this one shooting 53.8% from the field and also dished out 2 dimes.

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Washington State comes into this matchup with a win-loss mark of 9-2 on the campaign. They are averaging 77.4 pts per game (120th in the country) while shooting 48.3% from the field. The Cougars are connecting on 33.6% on shots beyond the perimeter (73 of 217) and 67.0% from the free throw line. As a team, Washington State is pulling down 40.0 boards per game and has totaled 144 dimes on the campaign, which ranks 283rd in D-1 in terms of passing. They are turning it over 10.3 times per game and as a basketball team they are committing 18.4 fouls every game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Cougars are forcing 11.8 turnovers per game and they draw 18.3 personal fouls. They rank 3rd in the nation in allowing assists to the opposition with 90 conceded for the year. The Cougars defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 37.3% (229 of 614) and they relinquish 31.3 boards per contest as a unit. They relinquish 28.0% on 3-pointers and they are 18th in college hoops in opponents points per game (62.5).

When they last played, the Utah Utes walked away with a victory by a final of 85-43 when they faced Bellarmine. The Utes earned 32 defensive boards and 9 offensive boards totaling 41 for this game. They also turned it over 10 times, while earning 14 steals in this game. Bellarmine committed 10 fouls for this contest which took the Utes to the free throw line for a total of 6 tries. They were able to bury 4 of those for a rate of 66.7%. When it comes to three-point attempts, Utah converted 11 out of their 27 tries (40.7%). When the game finished, the Utes walked away from this one shooting 35 for 70 from the floor which had them at 50.0%. The Utes permitted Bellarmine to bury 18 of 55 attempts from the field which left them shooting 32.7% in this matchup. They finished 29.4% from behind the 3-point line via 5 of 17 and ended up going 2 of 4 at the free throw line (50.0%). In reference to rebounds, Utah permitted Bellarmine to snag 29 in all (5 on the offensive glass).

Lawson Lovering ended up being a major contributor for the Utes in this matchup. He knocked down 8 out of 10 in this matchup giving him a rate of 80.0%, and tallied 7 rebounds. He recorded 17 points in his 24 minutes on the court and earned 3 assists in this matchup.

Utah has a record of 9-2 for the year. In terms of offensive execution, the Utes are shooting 48.6% from the field, which is 36th in Division 1. Utah has totaled 887 pts on the season (80.6 per contest) and they grab 39.6 boards per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 17.7 times per game (23rd in Division 1) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.4 times per contest. The Utes commit 14.7 fouls every game and they hit 71.3% from the free throw line.

The Utes on defense are ranked 120th in D-1 in PPG given up with 68.5. They are forcing 11.8 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 41.3% from the field (116th in Division 1). The Utah defense surrenders 33.6% on 3-point attempts (94 of 280) and opponents are converting on 62.0% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 13.5 assists and 33.8 total boards per game, which is 242nd and 121st in college basketball.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Washington State

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