UCLA Bruins vs Utah Utes Prediction, 1/11/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCLA Bruins vs Utah Utes

Date: Thursday, January 11, 2024

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

TV: ESPN+

The UCLA Bruins (6-9) are headed to Jon M. Huntsman Center on Thursday where they will play the Utah Utes (11-4).

The UCLA Bruins stepped onto the hardwood against California and took a loss by a final of 66-57 in their last contest. UCLA ended the contest with a 42.9% field goal percentage (21 of 49) and made 2 out of their 10 3-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Bruins knocked down 13 of their 19 shots for a rate of 68.4%. Pertaining to rebounding, they earned a total of 28 with 6 of them being offensive. They also doled out 7 assists in this matchup as well as forcing 13 turnovers and earning 8 steals. When it comes to the defense, UCLA allowed the other team to shoot 39.7% from the floor on 23 of 58 shooting. California distributed 12 dimes and had 6 steals in this matchup. Moreover, California totaled 35 rebounds (11 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. California finished shooting 75.0% at the free throw line by converting 12 of their 16 shots. They also knocked down 8 out of their 20 attempts from beyond the perimeter. When it comes to personal fouls, the Bruins finished with 18 and California accumulated 20 personal fouls.

Sebastian Mack is someone who was a major contributor in this game. He totaled 20 points on 7 out of 13 shooting. He saw the court for 27 mins played and also totaled 2 boards. He finished the game at 53.8% from the field and dished out 2 assists.

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UCLA will enter this matchup with a mark of 6-9 for the season. They are losing possession via turnover 12.2 times per game and as a group they are committing 19.2 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, UCLA is pulling down 35.8 boards per game and has 171 assists for the season, which is 321st in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Bruins are connecting on 29.0% on shots beyond the perimeter (65 of 224) and 72.1% from the charity stripe. They average 65.5 points per game (339th in D-1) while hitting 41.6% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Bruins are able to force 12.8 turnovers per contest and they draw 20.3 personal fouls. They are ranked 24th in Division 1 in allowing assists with 151 surrendered on the campaign. The Bruins defense is giving up a FG percentage of 39.1% (310 of 793) and they concede 31.6 rebounds per contest as a group. They give up 31.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are ranked 14th in college hoops in points per game allowed (62.2).

The last time they took the court, the Utah Utes took a loss by a score of 92-73 when they played Arizona. When it comes to attacking the glass, Utah permitted Arizona to collect 40 in total (8 on the offensive side). They shot 55.6% from three-point range by shooting 10 of 18 and walked away from this one shooting 6 of 9 at the free throw line (66.7%). The Utes permitted Arizona to convert 38 of 63 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 60.3% for the contest. When the final whistle blew, the Utes ended up shooting 28 for 68 from the floor which had them sitting at 41.2%. In relation to shots from distance, Utah knocked down 10 of 35 attempts (28.6%). They were able to make 7 of those for a percentage of 77.8%. Arizona committed 13 personal fouls for the game which got the Utes to the charity stripe for 9 attempts. They also turned it over 11 times, while getting 10 steals in the matchup. The Utes were able to collect 18 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive boards for a total of 23 in the game.

Gabe Madsen ended up having an impact for the Utes for this game. He converted 7 out of 13 in the game for a field goal rate of 53.8%, and accounted for 2 rebounds. He earned 18 points in his 33 minutes of playing time, but went home with no dimes.

Utah has a win-loss mark of 11-4 for the campaign. The Utes are committing 15.2 personal fouls per contest while shooting 68.9% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 17.8 times per contest (19th in the country) and they are giving up possession 11.9 times per contest. Utah has 1,205 pts for the year (80.3 per game) and they collect 39.1 boards per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Utes are shooting 47.7% from the floor, which ranks 48th in the country.

The Utah defense gives up 34.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter (128 of 369) and opponents are knocking down 63.8% of their foul shots. They have surrendered 14.5 dimes and 36.1 boards every game, which has them ranked 299th and 242nd in Division 1. The Utes on the defensive side of the court are 189th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 71.7. They are forcing 11.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 42.2% from the field (140th in Division 1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Utah

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