Utah Utes vs Colorado Buffaloes Prediction, 2/24/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Utah Utes vs Colorado Buffaloes

Date: Saturday, February 24, 2024

Location: CU Events Center in Boulder, CO

TV: PAC12

CU Events Center is where the Colorado Buffaloes (17-9) will take on the Utah Utes (16-10) on Saturday.

The Utah Utes faced UCLA and took home the win by a score of 70-69 in their last game. Utah walked away from the contest with a 42.1% FG percentage (24 out of 57) and converted 9 of their 28 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the free throw line, the Utes converted 13 of their 18 shots for a rate of 72.2%. Pertaining to hauling in rebounds, they earned 32 with 7 of them being offensive. They also doled out 14 dimes for the matchup in addition to forcing 4 turnovers and earning 4 steals. In the matter of defense, Utah allowed the other team to go 39.7% from the field on 25 out of 63 shooting. UCLA totaled 7 assists and had 2 steals for this contest. Furthermore, UCLA had 32 rebounds (11 offensive, 21 defensive), but didn't notch a block. UCLA went 93.3% when shooting free throws by burying 14 of their 15 attempts. They also knocked down 5 out of their 21 tries from beyond the perimeter. Concerning fouls, the Utes ended up with 18 and UCLA accumulated 17 fouls.

Branden Carlson is one guy who was a contributor in the matchup. He ended up scoring 17 points on 6 of 13 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 31 minutes and grabbed 7 boards. He went 46.2% from the floor but wasn't able to get an assist.

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Utah comes into this one with a win-loss mark of 16-10 on the season. They are turning it over 11.8 times per game and as a basketball team are committing 16.0 personal fouls per game. As a unit, Utah is pulling in 39.5 rebounds per game and is sitting with 452 assists so far this season, which ranks 18th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Utes are hitting 35.7% on shots from beyond the arc (227 of 635) and 64.9% from the free throw line. They have an average of 78.3 points per game (69th in the nation) while connecting on 46.5% from the field.

On the defensive end of the court, the Utes are forcing their opponents into 10.5 turnovers per game while drawing 17.1 fouls. They are currently ranked 280th in college basketball in giving up assists to their opponents with 370 conceded so far this year. The Utes defensively are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 42.2% (701 of 1,662) and they relinquish 36.9 boards per game as a basketball team. They are conceding 34.6% from 3-point land while they are 214th in D-1 in points per game allowed (72.8).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Colorado Buffaloes got the victory with a final of 92-89 against USC. The Buffaloes were able to snag 31 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds totaling 42 for the game. They also coughed it up 20 times, while earning 5 steals for this game. USC was called for 18 fouls in this contest which took the Buffaloes to the free throw line for 29 shots. They were able to make 21 of the free throws for a percentage of 72.4%. In regard to 3-pointers, Colorado made 9 of 20 tries (45.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Buffaloes finished shooting 31 for 59 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 52.5%. The Buffaloes permitted USC to knock down 34 of their 73 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 46.6% in the matchup. They finished 42.9% from three-point range by connecting on 9 out of 21 and finished the game at 12 out of 17 at the charity stripe (70.6%). Regarding rebounding, Colorado permitted USC to grab 20 in all (6 on the offensive glass).

KJ Simpson was important for the Buffaloes for this contest. He made 9 of 17 for the contest giving him a rate of 52.9%, and had 9 rebounds. He racked up 30 points in his 48 minutes on the court and accounted for 5 assists in this contest.

Colorado has a record of 17-9 on the season. On the offensive side of the court, the Buffaloes are connecting on 49.4% from the field, which has them ranked 14th in the nation. Colorado has earned 2,088 points so far this year (80.3 per game) and they grab 37.6 rebounds per game. They are earning an assist 15.9 times per game (40th in the nation) and they turn the ball over 13.5 times per contest. The Buffaloes commit 15.3 fouls every game and they connect on 78.6% from the charity stripe.

The Colorado defense allows 34.3% from downtown (185 of 540) and their opponents are converting on 71.7% of their foul shots. They concede 11.3 dimes and 29.8 rebounds per game, ranking them 60th and 10th in college hoops. The Buffaloes on the defensive end are ranked 203rd in college basketball in points given up per game with 72.7. They are forcing 11.3 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.9% from the field (205th in Division 1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Utah

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