Utah Utes vs. Arizona Wildcats Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Arizona Wildcats are hoping that they can still run down the UCLA Bruins to win at least a share of the regular season conference championship. Arizona is two games behind UCLA in the Pac 12 standings, but the Wildcats did knock off the Bruins in Tucson earlier this year. Still, there is no room for error with just five games remaining in the regular season, so the Wildcats can't afford a slip up against the Utah Utes on Thursday night. Utah hammered Arizona in Salt Lake City back on December 1, depriving the Wildcats of a potential 15-0 start.

On Thursday, February 16, 2023, the Utah Utes will head to the desert to take on the Arizona Wildcats. This game will be played at the McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona with tip time slated for 10 p.m. ET on the Pac 12 Network.

Utah Utes vs. Arizona Wildcats Betting Prediction

Tommy Lloyd is off to a fantastic start in his coaching career. Lloyd was a 20-year assistant under Mark Few at Gonzaga that waited and waited for the right opportunity before making the leap on his own. Arizona went 33-4 under Lloyd's stewardship last year, and the Wildcats are currently 22-4 this season. They have lost just one home game in the last two seasons, and they have not lost consecutive games in that time. Following a bad road loss against Stanford on Saturday, look for Arizona to take care of business against Utah here.

Score Prediction: Arizona 81, Utah 63
Best Bet: Arizona -10 (-110)

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Utah Utes vs. Arizona Wildcats Betting Odds

Utah Utes vs. Arizona Wildcats Betting Resources

Date: Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023
TV-Time: P12, 10:00 p.m. ET
Venue: McKale Center
Location: Tucson, Arizona
Matchup
Expert Picks

Pac-12 Tournament Odds

Utah Utes vs. Arizona Wildcats Betting Stats

Utah Utes
SU: 17-9
ATS: 14-12
O/U: 9-17
PPG: 70.5
OPPG: 61.8

Arizona Wildcats
SU: 22-4
ATS: 12-13-1
O/U: 13-13
PPG: 83.2
OPPG: 71

Straight Up (SU), Against the Spread (ATS), Over-Under (O/U)
Points Per Game (PPG), Opponents Points Per Game (OPPG)

Updated on 04/20/2024

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Utah Utes Betting Analysis

In the first meeting between these teams, Utah was surprisingly able to win on the glass against Oumar Ballo and Azuolas Tubelis. We saw Branden Carlson have a big game with 22 points, and he forced Arizona's big men outside because he was able to hit from downtown. Additionally, Arizona went stone cold from beyond the arc, making just 4 of 28 three-point attempts on the evening.

Carlson will be one of the keys to victory for Utah once again on Thursday night. The 7'0 senior leads Utah with 16.5 PPG and 7.6 RPG. He is an excellent foul shooter, and he has very good range for a center, and that can create mismatches against opponents. However, the Utes will not have second leading scorer Gabe Madsen for at least another two weeks due to a lower leg injury, and that's a big blow.

Marco Anthony and Rollie Worster will see their roles increase with Madsen out, and Lazar Stefanovic will be asked to hit his perimeter shots. Stefanovic and Madsen are the two perimeter shooters on Utah, and they may see a lot of looks if the Wildcats overcommit to Carlson. Keba Keita and Ben Carlson might be used more than usual too if Utah decides to go big.

Arizona Wildcats Betting Analysis

The Wildcats have a history of dominant big men, and they have two players that can rule the paint in Oumar Ballo and Azuolas Tubelis. Ballo is not as well known as Tubelis, but he is more of a force in the low post. The 7'0 junior from Mali is averaging 14.7 PPG and 8.8 RPG while making over 65% of his field goals. He is an old school player that always plays within the arc, and that makes his pairing with Tubelis particularly effective.

Tubelis is a 6'11 big man that can play the wing. He is one of the top players in the country, and he leads the Wildcats with 20.2 PPG and 9.3 RPG. Tubelis is making over 58% of his field goals and more than 39% of his threes, and that's something you just don't see with a player of his size. That helps Arizona rank in the top ten nationally in effective field goal percentage.

As long as one of Arizona's guards can hit his open looks, the Wildcats should have little trouble with Utah. Courtney Ramey is making 41.7% of his threes and was one of the few players to have a solid performance against the Utes in the first meeting, while Kerr Kriisa can get hot. Cedric Henderson is someone to watch too.