Utah Utes vs Washington State Cougars Prediction, 1/24/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Utah Utes vs Washington State Cougars

Date: Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Location: Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, WA

TV: PAC12

Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum is the site where the Washington State Cougars (13-6) will go up against the Utah Utes (14-5) on Wednesday.

The Utah Utes faced off with Oregon and earned the victory with a final of 80-77 in their last game. In regard to fouls, the Utes ended up walking away with 14 and Oregon accounted for 19 fouls. They converted 12 out of their 24 attempts from distance. Oregon shot 63.6% when shooting free throws by converting 7 of their 11 attempts. Moreover, Oregon had 29 rebounds (7 offensive, 22 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Oregon doled out 20 assists and had 7 steals in this game. Pertaining to defense, Utah allowed their opponent to shoot 44.6% from the floor on 29 of 65 shooting. They also doled out 18 assists in this contest while forcing the other team into 8 turnovers and getting 2 steals. In terms of rebounding, they earned 35 with 6 of them being of the offensive variety. At the charity stripe, the Utes converted 15 of their 22 shots for a percentage of 68.2%. Utah ended the contest having earned a 50.0% field goal percentage (27 of 54) and converted 11 of their 27 three-point shots.

Deivon Smith is one guy who was a contributor in this matchup. He shot 52.9% from the field and totaled 9 assists. He saw the court for 38 minutes played and grabbed 9 rebounds. He finished with 24 points on 9 out of 17 shooting.

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Utah heads into this game with a mark of 14-5 this season. They lose possession via turnover 11.6 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 15.5 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Utah is snagging 40.1 boards per contest and has 338 dimes for the campaign, which ranks 11th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. The Utes are hitting 38.0% from downtown (173 of 455) and 66.6% from the free throw line. They average 80.1 points per game (53rd in college basketball) while going 47.6% from the field.

On defense, the Utes are able to force 11.2 turnovers every game and they draw 17.4 personal fouls. They are relinquishing 34.9% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 124th in D-1 in points per game from their opponents (69.6). The Utes defense is allowing a shooting percentage of 41.2% (490 of 1,189) and they concede 35.5 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They currently rank 293rd in college basketball in allowing assists with 270 conceded on the campaign.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Washington State Cougars took a defeat with a final score of 81-75 against California. When discussing cleaning the glass, Washington State permitted California to grab 41 in all (11 on the offensive glass). They finished the game shooting 35.0% from beyond the perimeter by going 7 out of 20 and ended up going 18 of 22 at the free throw line (81.8%). The Cougars allowed California to convert 28 of their 71 tries from the floor which had them at 39.4% in the matchup. At the conclusion of this game, the Cougars shot 27 for 59 from the field which gave them a rate of 45.8%. When talking about shots from downtown, Washington State knocked down 8 of their 18 tries (44.4%). They were able to knock down 13 of them for a percentage of 65.0%. California had 16 fouls for the contest which took the Cougars to the free throw line for 20 attempts. They coughed it up 9 times, but didn't record a steal for the team. The Cougars recorded 30 defensive boards and 3 offensive boards totaling 33 for the matchup.

Andrej Jakimovski was important for the Cougars for the contest. He earned 20 points in his 42 minutes of playing time and added 3 assists for this game. He buried 7 of 16 for the game for a field goal rate of 43.8%, and earned 7 rebounds.

Washington State has a mark of 13-6 on the season. On the offensive side of the court, the Cougars are hitting on 47.6% from the field, which ranks them 51st in the country. Washington State has tallied 1,434 points for the campaign (75.5 per game) and they grab 38.0 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 12.9 times per game (220th in the nation) and they are turning it over 10.7 times per game. The Cougars are committing 17.5 fouls per game while shooting 68.9% from the free throw line.

The Washington State defense concedes 32.9% on shots from beyond the arc (117 of 356) and their opposition knocks down 76.4% of their foul shots. They give up 10.5 assists and 32.7 total rebounds per game, which has them ranked 26th and 73rd in those categories. The Cougars on defense are ranked 79th in college hoops in points allowed per game with 67.3. They have forced 10.7 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 40.1% from the field (40th in D-1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Washington State

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