It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Utah-UCF prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Utah-UCF.
There are a number of notable conference games in college basketball on the final Sunday of February. This one might slip under the radar due to the fact that Ohio State versus UCLA will be going on at the same time, but if you haven’t been paying close attention, you will see that this game has more relevance than you might have first realized.
Utah is not likely to make the NCAA Tournament. The Utes have to pile up a few more quality wins to put themselves on the middle of the bubble. However, Utah has made a late-season surge. It just did beat Kansas and Kansas State at home. The Utes were completely out of the bubble picture three weeks ago. Their recent wins have put them on the lower end of the bubble. Again, it’s not a good overall position, but Utah is at least in the conversation now and has a few weeks in which it can potentially play its way into the field. The door is open just a little. The Utes, if they can win four more games in the coming weeks, will at least be a discussion point. If they can win at least five more games, they should receive some consideration on Selection Sunday. This is not over, and coach Craig Smith hopes that his team’s recent run of good form at home will carry over to the road, where the Utes have struggled this season.
Here are the Utah-UCF College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Utah-UCF Odds
Utah: +2.5 (-102)
Moneyline: +126
UCF: -2.5 (-120)
Moneyline: -152
Over: 160.5 (-110)
Under: 160.5 (-110)
How to Watch Utah vs UCF
Time: 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN Plus
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Utah Will Cover The Spread/Win
UCF will fail to reach the NCAA Tournament. Coach Johnny Dawkins is legitimately on the hot seat, having coached at the school in Orlando for nearly a decade with only one NCAA tourney berth to show for it. Dawkins has been in this business for a very long time, and he has picked jobs which involve job security and less-than-huge expectations (two things which are closely related), but as UCF moves into the Big 12 and a higher level of competition, one would think the school will begin to ask and demand more of its head basketball coach, which should translate into a hot seat and potential changes in the offseason. UCF has been a bad team over the past four weeks, playing its way off the bubble. Utah needs this game more than UCF does and will therefore be more motivated to win. Utah getting points is amazing value. One could easily say Utah should be a 1.5-point favorite here.
Why UCF Will Cover The Spread/Win
Utah on the road this season has not been very good. A lot of people are skeptical that what Utah has recently achieved on its home court in Salt Lake City will indeed carry over into these Big 12 road games, especially one played in the opposite corner of the country, multiple time zones away. Long-distance travel late in the college basketball season is a recipe for failure for Utah. UCF will benefit from this dynamic.
Final Utah-UCF Prediction & Pick
We are leaning to Utah but aren’t about to trust the Utes on the road. Pass.
Final Utah-UCF Prediction & Pick: Utah+2.5
The post Utah vs UCF prediction, pick, college basketball odds appeared first on ClutchPoints.
