Utah Valley Wolverines vs Utah Runnin’ Utes Betting Pick & Prediction 12/16/23

Planning on watching today’s Wolverines and Runnin’ Utes game? Catch the action at Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, UT, as the Runnin’ Utes hosts this showdown at 4:00 ET on PACN. The over/under for this non-conference contest is set at 143.5 points, with the Runnin’ Utes being the favored team playing at home against the Wolverines.

UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINES VS UTAH RUNNIN’ UTES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Utah Valley Wolverines +17.5

This game will be played at Jon M. Huntsman Center at 4:00 ET on Saturday, December 16th.

WHY BET THE UTAH VALLEY WOLVERINES:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 76-68 in favor of the Runnin’ Utes.
• Even though we have Utah winning straight-up, we like Utah Valley at +17.5.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 143.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 144 points.

Do the Wolverines Have What it Takes to Win as Road Underdogs?

Utah Valley is set to play their 11th game of the season, with a 6-4 record. If they win today, their road record would improve to 2-3, which would put them back at .500. Heading into their game against Utah, Utah Valley has a 4-3 ATS record. Over their last five games, the team is 3-1 vs. the spread.

Through 10 games, Utah Valley has an over/under record of 3-4-0 with their games averaging a combined 134.1 points per game so far. The Wolverines’ have recorded an over/under record of 1-2 in their last three games, with their games averaging 128 points per game.

In their recent matchup, the Utah Valley offense ended with 71 points against Oregon State. They finished with an overall field goal percentage of 50% and made 7 threes. One area that the Utah Valley offense has been good this season is getting to the line. Currently, they are 103rd in free-throw attempts per contest. Overall, they have a field goal percentage of 45%.

This season, the Utah Valley defense has been impressive, holding the 59th position in the country while permitting an average of 65.6 points per contest. Utah Valley’s three-point defense is currently 34th in the country at 5.0 made threes per game. In terms of overall field goal percentage, opponets have hit 39.4% of their shots vs. Utah Valley.

Can the Runnin’ Utes Pull Out the Win as Home Favorites?

Utah will be playing their 10th game of the season with a 7-2 record. In away games, the Runnin’ Utes are undefeated at 2-0, and they have a 3-2 record when playing at home. Utah has a positive ATS record, sitting above .500 at 5-2. Over their last five games, the team is 3-2 vs. the spread.

Up to this point, games involving Utah have had an average of 151.1 points per game, with the average over/under line set at 141.4 points. Their over/under record is 4-2-1. When analyzing the Runnin’ Utes’ last five games, they have produced a combined average of 156 points per game and an over/under record of 3-1-1.

The Runnin’ Utes’ offense wrapped up their last game with 79 points, aligning closely with their current season average of 80.7 points per contest. Branden Carlson is the current leading scorer for the team, with an average of 17 as they approach today’s matchup. In addition, Gabe Madsen brings a PPG average of 14.6 into the game.

In terms of defense, Utah is currently on par with the NCAA average for points allowed, giving up an average of 72.0 points per game. The Utah defense is coming off a game in which they gave up a total of 66 points and allowed Hawaii to connect on 5 threes.