Check out our free Stanford 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.
Stanford vs Utah Pick & Preview: Thursday, February 2nd Betting Odds
Cardinal vs Runnin’ Utes Matchup at a Glance
- Sport: NCAAB
- Teams: Stanford Cardinal at Utah Runnin’ Utes
- Where: Salt Lake City at Jon M. Huntsman Center
- Date: Thursday, February 2nd
- Betting Odds: Stanford +6.5, STAN +230 | UTAH -295 O/U 133.5
Cardinal Preview:
Heading into today’s matchup vs Utah, the Stanford Cardinal will be taking the floor for the 22nd time this season and have an overall record of 9-12. So far, the Cardinal have played 7 games on the road, with a record of 0-7. For the season, Stanford has been the underdog in 10 games, sitting with a mark of 1-9. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Cardinal being +6.5 point underdogs.
Stanford will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Spencer Jones who is averaging 12.9 points per game for the Cardinal. Jones 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 Cardinal’s offensive game plan is the play of Harrison Ingram who has hit 40.8% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 9.76 points per game.
Offensive production has been hard to come by for Stanford this season, as they are currently ranked 348th in college basketball at 66.4 points per game. A major reason for low scoring totals is the fact that they have played at a below average pace, and have struggled to knock down outside shots. As a team, the Cardinal’s 3-point shooting percentage sits at just 33.9%, placing them 262nd in the NCAA.
Runnin’ Utes Preview:
The Utah Runnin’ Utes head into today’s game in what will be their 24th game of the season, posting a record of 15-8. Currently, the Runnin’ Utes have been the home team 13 times, sitting with a record of 10-3. The Runnin’ Utes’ are sitting with a betting line that is -6.5 points in their favor. For the season, Utah has been favored to win in 16 games, sitting with a mark of 12-4.
Branden Carlson comes into today’s game as the Runnin’ Utes’ leading scorer at 16.55 points per contest. Not only has Carlson been key to the team’s scoring efforts, but he is Utah’s top rebounder at 7.5 boards per contest. Before getting a bet down on this game, we recommend keeping close watch on the availability of Gabe Madsen, as he is currently listed as questionable. If he can’t play, the Runnin’ Utes’ will be without their 2nd leading scorer at Gabe Madsen points 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 they 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 -6.5
Heading into this matchup, our NCAA betting model has identified this game as a profitable opportunity and recommends taking the Utah Runnin’ Utes to pick up the win and cover the spread as -6.5 point betting favorites. Although Utah as a team is just 348th in overall shooting percentage, we see their offense putting together a strong performance against the Cardinal’s defense. At -6.5 we see there being plenty of value in grabbing the Runnin’ Utes to come out on top and cover.
