Utah vs Jacksonville State Betting Preview
Sportsmemo college basketball analyst Kyle Kargel gives his Utah vs Jacksonville State predictions tipping off at 10pm ET from Jon M. Huntsman Center. Utah is 7-2 going 5-1 as well at home this season while Jacksonville State is 4-4 going 1-3 on the road this season.
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Utah vs Jacksonville State Betting Odds
Thursday, December 8 | College Basketball Betting Notes |
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Point Spread: | Utah Utes -16.5 vs Jacksonville State Gamecocks |
Total: | 133 Points |
Game Time: | 10:00pm ET / 7:00pm PT |
Arena: | Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, UT(Odds Above by DraftKings) |
TV: | Pac 12 Network |
Utah vs Jacksonville State Analysis
Utah has kicked off Pac 12 play already winning two straight against Washington State (in overtime) and Arizona. Both of those wins came with the Utes listed as underdogs but what’s more impressive is that they defeated the 4th ranked Wildcats by 15 in a wire-to-wire win.
They face a Jacksonville State team who made the NCAA Tournament last season losing to Auburn. The Gamecocks started the season going 2-4 but have won and covered their last two games including their last to East Tennessee State when they were listed as 2.5-point underdogs.
Is Jacksonville State starting to find their grove heading into Salt Lake City for a non-conference battle with Utah?
Jacksonville State Struggles Inside
There’s no doubt the Gamecocks have made the 3pt shot apart of their offense with 41.3% of their offensive production coming from beyond the arch which is 11th most nationally.
Senior guard tandem Skyelar Potter and Demaree King lead that charge shooting a combined 45% from 3pt range so far this season while averaging a combined 28.5 ppg as well.
The Gamecocks inside game is where they struggle ranking 306th nationally in 2pt field goal percentage while only 41.5% of their point production comes from inside which is 350th nationally. They utilize their bench vastly up to this point in the season with nine players averaging 16+ minutes played per game.
Junior forward Amanze Ngumezi will be the x-factor for the Gamecocks to boost their inside production as he’s averaged 12.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in four games this season.
Utah Playing Under The Radar
With how great the Gamecocks 3pt shooting has been this season, the Utes 3pt defense has been that much better. They rank 3rd nationally in both 3pt field goal percentage allowed and effective field goal percentage allowed.
They’re also great inside on defense ranking 9th in 2pt field goal percentage allowed. That charge is led by senior center Branden Carlson who put up 22 points in their upset win against Arizona.
Junior Gabe Madsen is the team’s top guard averaging 12.6 ppg, but the anomaly with him is his 3pt field goal percentage (42.1%) is higher than his overall field goal percentage (36.7%).
Even though Utah ranks in the top 100 in average possession length, look for them to slow the pace down and work the ball inside to Madson often.
Utah vs Jacksonville State Prediction
This has “let down spot” written all over it for Utah kicking off Pac 12 play in a huge way only to go back to non-conference play welcoming in Jacksonville State.
With the line at 16.5, it’s just slightly too steep for me to back the Utes, but the Gamecocks haven’t shown enough to me that they can cover that. Take the under 133 in this matchup in which I expect Utah to win something around 70-55.
Prediction: Under 133 Points Scored
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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 vs Jacksonville State contest.
Happy Hour Tip-Off Show
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The Happy Hour Tip-Off Show will broadcast Monday through Friday at 1:45pm ET / 10:45am PT. Pull up a barstool and join us as we break down tonight’s college basketball card, including possibly this Utah vs Jacksonville State clash, from a sports betting perspective.
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Track the college basketball point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Thursday’s college basketball games, including this Utah vs Jacksonville State showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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