Utah Valley vs Grand Canyon Betting Preview
SportsMemo college basketball content contributor Kyle Kargel gives his Utah Valley vs Grand Canyon prediction in the Western Athletic Conference. At the time of posting, the Wolverines have opened as a 1.5-point home favorite over the road Antelopes, with the total sitting at 131.5 points.
Check out our College Basketball Free Picks page for betting thoughts from some of the country’s top handicappers.
Thursday, February 10 | Western Athletic Conference Betting Notes |
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Point Spread: | Utah Valley Wolverines -1.5 vs Grand Canyon Antelopes |
Total: | 131.5 Points |
Game Time: | 8:00pm ET / 5:00pm PT |
Arena: | UCCU Center in Orem, UT |
TV: | ESPN+ |
Utah Valley vs Grand Canyon Analysis
Both Utah Valley and Grand Canyon continue to chase WAC leader New Mexico State as we wind down the last part of the regular season. Utah Valley sites three games back while Grand Canyon sits two games behind, with both needing this win which would continue to put pressure on the Aggies.
Besides a recent three game conference losing streak, the Antelopes have been solid this season with their biggest win coming in a non-conference bout against San Francisco. While Grand Canyon has multiple five game win streaks on the season Utah Valley is 6-4 in their last ten.
This game figures to be a coin flip with Utah Valley coming out as 1.5 point favorites at home, but let’s see where these teams differ.
Utah Valley Coughing it Up Too Much
The Wolverines will be playing at home for the first time since January 22 and will be looking forward to it as they boast a top 30 home court advantage nationally according to KenPom.
They shoot the three ball very effectively over 37% which is 32nd in the country, but it’s not usually a part of their offensive game plan as they rank near the bottom of the country in three pointers attempted per game.
The Wolverines also have problems taking care of the ball turning it over 22 times per game which is 337th in the nation. They sport one of the youngest, but also one of the tallest teams in the country.
Sophomore center Fardaws Aimaq leads that charge averaging 19 points and over 13 rebounds per game while shooting over 48% from the field. Guard Blaze Nield is a critical role player for Utah Valley as the team’s assist and steals leader while shooting over 38% from three.
Antelopes Underrated on Defense
Antelopes Head Coach Bryce Drew leads an experienced team into Orem which is headed by junior Jovan Blacksher Jr. who averages 17 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals a game while shooting just under 41% from three.
Seniors Holland Woods and Taeshon Cherry also chip in with a combined 20 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists per game combined. While Grand Canyon turns it over 20 times per game (257th nationally) they’re better at taking care of the ball than Utah Valley surprisingly enough.
As a team the Antelopes average a dreadful 64.7% from the free throw line which is 345th nationally. What Grand Canyon lacks at the free throw line they make up for defensively as they’re 5th in the country in effective field goals allowed.
Grand Canyon is the best in the country at defending the three pointer allowing opponents to shoot just over 25% from deep.
Utah Valley vs Grand Canyon Prediction
This game will likely come down to how well Grand Canyon can defend Utah Valley on the three point line. No, the Wolverines don’t shoot it much from downtown but going 7-10 from three as opposed to 2-10 is a huge difference in a game like this.
I see Grand Canyon being able to contain Utah Valley enough while salivating to play at home for the first time in over two weeks. Take Grand Canyon plus the small amount of points.
Prediction: Grand Canyon +1.5
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Utah Valley vs Grand Canyon Preview from GoldSheet
While the Valley of the Sun mulls the possibilities that spring training baseball risks being curtailed or worse if MLB can’t fix its latest labor dispute, there’s always basketball with the Suns flying high and Bryce Drew’s Antelopes looking for a return trip to the Dance.
(We won’t ask about ASU, irrespective of its upset win over UCLA last weekend). But the WAC trail has been a bit more treacherous this season for GCU, reflected by three consecutive losses in a recent road swing thru Texas and New Mexico. (By comparsion, the Lopes only lost once on the conference road last season.)
Drew also doesn’t have his tag-team bigs 6-10 Alessandro Lever and 7-footer Asbjon Midtgaard like last season when they were able to fluster the Wolverines’ 6-11 NBA prospect Fardaws Aimaq, though both meetings were in Phoenix.
Now the Lopes have to travel to Orem with a much smaller lineup than last season, which presents some real issues against Aimaq (19 ppg & 13.2 rpg, ranked second nationally behind only Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe in the latter), who caused real problems for Sam Houston’s smaller frontline with 24 points in UVU’s gut-check win last Saturday in Huntsville.
Mark Madsen’s Wolverines aren’t a one-man show, however, with three other double-digit scorers led by BYU transfer wing Connor Harding, who’s hitting 42% of his triples, and they’ve only lost once in 12 games at home this season.
Meanwhile leading GCU scorer G Jovan Blacksher, Jr. (17 ppg) showing signs of wear and tear, with a stinker 3-of-20 effort from the floor in Saturday’s narrow home win over Cal Baptist after a similarly-bad 3 for 17 game to forget the previous Saturday at New Mexico State, while the Lopes have dropped four of their last five vs. the line.
College Basketball Stat Sheet
GoldSheet prepares a daily college basketball stat sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Thursday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Utah Valley vs Grand Canyon contest.
NCAAB Odds Screen
Sportsmemo’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the college basketball point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Thursday’s NCAAB games, including this Utah Valley vs Grand Canyon showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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