Check out our free Jacksonville State vs Utah pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Salt Lake City. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.

Jacksonville State vs Utah Pick & Preview: Thursday, December 8th Betting Odds

Gamecocks vs Runnin’ Utes Matchup at a Glance

  • Sport: NCAAB
  • Teams: Jacksonville State Gamecocks at Utah Runnin’ Utes
  • Where: Salt Lake City at Jon M. Huntsman Center
  • Date: Thursday, December 8th
  • Betting Odds: Jacksonville State +14, JAXST +770 | UTAH -1427 O/U 132.5

Gamecocks Preview:

Jacksonville State will take the floor against the Runnin’ Utes with an overall record of 4-4. On the road, the Gamecocks will be playing their 6th game of the season, having gone 2-4. So far, the Gamecocks have been the underdog 4 times, going 1-3 straight up. Heading into today’s contest, they are the +14 underdogs on the spread.

Jacksonville State will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Skyelar Potter who is averaging 14.5 points per game for the Gamecocks. Potter is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Gamecocks’ offensive gameplan is the play of Demaree King who has hit 46.5% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 14.0 points per game.

Coming into the game, Jacksonville State is averaging 73.9, which is 117th in the college basketball. A strength of the team’s offensive attack is their ability to knock down shots from deep. So far, the Gamecocks are 51st in 3-point shooting percentage (38.8%). In terms of pace, Jacksonville State perfers to slow the game down, averaging just 66.1 possessions per game.

Runnin’ Utes Preview:

Utah will take their 3 game win streak into today’s game. So far, the team has an overall record of 7-2. So far this season, Utah has played 6 games at home, sitting with a record of 5-1. At the time of this article, the oddsmakers have the Runnin’ Utes as the -14 point favorites. The Runnin’ Utes have been favored 6 times, going 5-1 straight up.

Branden Carlson comes into today’s game as the Runnin’ Utes’ leading scorer at 13.44 points per contest. Not only has Carlson been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Utah’s top rebounder at 7.11 boards per contest. Behind Carlson, the team has benefited from the strong play of Gabe Madsen who is second on the team in scoring at 12.56 points per game. Overall, he has hit 36.7% of his shots and is adding 3.33 boards per game.

Offensive production has been hard to come by for Utah this season, as they are currently ranked 247th in college basketball at 69.7 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that that have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Runnin’ Utes’ 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 33.5%, placing them 289th in the NCAA.

Free Spread Prediction: Utah Runnin’ Utes -14

For today’s matchup between Utah Runnin’ Utes and Jacksonville State Gamecocks, our analysis points to Utah covering the spread as the -14 point favorites. Although the Runnin’ Utes are just 2-3 over their previous 5 games as the favorite, we view the oddsmakers line being set too low. Today’s contest is an oustanding matchup for Utah as they will be facing a Jacksonville State team that also perfers to slow the game down. Look for the team to put together an efficient offensive performance while also limiting the Gamecocks’ offense, leading to not only a straight up win but an ATS victory. Before tip-off, be sure to go ahead and lock in your wager on the Utah Runnin’ Utes to cover!