Utah vs. Arizona Pick
Will No. 11 Arizona cruise to a big win at home when the Wildcats host Utah tonight at 5:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Arizona is favored at home in this game, as the Wildcats are getting odds of -8.5 points against Utah. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 146.5 points. Tonight’s game is set to take place from the McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona and will air live on FOX.
Utah comes into today’s game on a three-game win streak following an 80-77 OT win at Arizona State. The Utes are 13-7 overall, 5-4 in the Pac-12 and 9-7-2 against the spread. Utah is averaging 75.3 points per game on offense this season while allowing 70.8 per contest. Justin Bibbins is leading Utah with 14.3 points and 5.2 assists per game while David Collette is adding 12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest.
Arizona is riding a five-game win streak right now, including an 80-71 win over Colorado at home this week. The Wildcats are now 17-4 overall, 7-1 in the Pac-12 and 7-12-2 against the spread. Arizona is averaging 82.1 points per game on offense while allowing 71.4 per contest. Allonzo Trier is leading Arizona with 19.9 points per game while Deandre Ayton is adding 19.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. Rawle Alkins puts up 14.6 points per game, but is questionable for today’s game due to a foot injury.
Arizona has won nine of its last 10 meetings with Utah, while going 5-1-1 against the spread in the last seven meetings with the Utes. While Utah comes in somewhat hot, the Utes have already lost by 12 at home to the Wildcats this season and they have suffered some lopsided losses at USC and UCLA. Arizona hasn’t been great at covering lately, but I think that has led to a smaller line than usual for the Wildcats at home. The public betting is siding with Arizona tonight and I am inclined to agree.
CBB DAILY PREDICTION: ARIZONA -8.5