UC Irvine Anteaters vs Utah Utes Prediction, 3/19/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UC Irvine Anteaters vs Utah Utes

Date: Tuesday, March 19, 2024

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

TV: ESPN2

Jon M. Huntsman Center is the location where the Utah Utes (19-14) will attempt to defeat the UC Irvine Anteaters (24-9) on Tuesday in the NIT.

The UC Irvine Anteaters faced Long Beach State and took a loss by a final of 83-79 in their last contest. UC Irvine ended the contest with a 49.2% field goal percentage (32 of 65) and converted 5 of 14 three-point attempts. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Anteaters made 10 of their 19 shots for a rate of 52.6%. With respect to hauling in boards, they collected 31 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 16 assists in this game in addition to creating 9 turnovers and having 4 steals. Regarding the defense, UC Irvine allowed their opponent to shoot 45.0% from the floor on 27 of 60 shooting. Long Beach State recorded 16 dimes and had 6 steals for the game. Moreover, Long Beach State collected 35 rebounds (10 offensive, 25 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Long Beach State shot 88.0% at the free throw line by knocking down 22 of their 25 attempts. They converted 7 of their 18 attempts from distance. In regard to fouls, the Anteaters walked away with 20 and Long Beach State totaled 16 fouls.

Justin Hohn is someone who came through in the game. He finished the game at 46.7% from the floor and also dished out 2 assists. He played for 32 minutes played and grabbed 1 board. He accounted for 19 points on 7 out of 15 shooting.

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UC Irvine will play this game with a win-loss record of 24-9 this season. They are turning it over 11.7 times per game and as a unit they commit 18.4 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, UC Irvine is snagging 37.8 rebounds per contest and has earned 518 assists this season, which ranks 40th in college hoops in terms of passing the rock. The Anteaters are connecting on 34.9% on shots from 3-point land (191 of 547) and 75.5% from the free throw line. They average 77.7 pts per contest (72nd in the country) while hitting 47.8% from the floor.

When they are on the defensive end, the Anteaters are able to force 12.4 turnovers per game while drawing 17.8 fouls. They relinquish 32.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 63rd in college hoops in points per game from their opponents (67.8). The Anteaters defensively are allowing a FG percentage of 40.8% (785 of 1,926) and they surrender 32.8 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are 70th in D-1 in giving up assists with 376 conceded for the year.

In their last game, the Utah Utes went home defeated by a final of 72-58 against Colorado. The Utes were able to pull down 23 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds for a total of 33 in this contest. They also gave up possession 4 times, while getting 4 steals for this contest. Colorado committed 11 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Utes to the free throw line for a total of 14 tries. They were able to knock down 8 of those for a clip of 57.1%. When discussing shots from distance, Utah converted 8 of 30 attempts (26.7%). When the final whistle blew, the Utes finished 21 for 64 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 32.8%. The Utes allowed Colorado to bury 28 of their 63 tries from the field which had them at 44.4% in the game. They went 50.0% from beyond the perimeter by going 7 out of 14 and ended up shooting 9 of 12 from the free throw line (75.0%). In relation to attacking the glass, Utah allowed Colorado to grab 43 overall (9 offensive).

Branden Carlson ended up being a major contributor for the Utes for the matchup. He recorded 13 points in his 25 minutes on the hardwood, but finished this game without an assist. He made 5 of 8 for the game giving him a field goal percentage of 62.5%, and tallied 6 rebounds.

Utah has a record of 19-14 for the campaign. As an offensive unit, the Utes are connecting on 46.6% from the field, which has them ranked 69th in D-1. Utah has scored 2,576 points on the year (78.1 per game) and they collect 39.0 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 17.2 times per game (16th in the country) and they are turning it over 11.6 times per game. The Utes have committed 16.1 fouls per game and they go 64.9% from the charity stripe.

The Utah defense gives up 34.0% on shots from distance (257 of 756) and their opponents are making 68.5% of their free throw shots. They allow 13.8 dimes and 36.3 total boards per game, which ranks 270th and 270th in the nation. The Utes on the defensive end are ranked 206th in D-1 in PPG given up with 72.6. They are able to force 10.3 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.4% from the floor (102nd in college basketball).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UC Irvine

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