The No.4-seeded Georgetown Hoyas challenge the No.5-seeded Utah Utes in the third round of the NCAA tournament at Moda Center – Portland, OR. Action begins at 7:45 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 21.
The Hoyas played well in their last game, topping Eastern Washington 84-74 in the second round. Jabril Trawick was the team’s leading scorer with 19 points on 6-for-10 shooting. The Utes, meanwhile, are coming off a 57-50 win against Stephen F. Austin in the second round. Delon Wright led the team in scoring with 21 points.
Wright has upped his play for the Utes, averaging 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.8 blocks, and 1.6 three-pointers over the past five games.
The odds for Georgetown and Utah are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Hoyas have gone 22-10 Straight Up (SU) and 11-16-2 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have only managed a record of 3-7 ATS. Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Hoyas, ranking 33rd in the country in blocks per game with 4.9.
Over on the other bench, the Utes have a record of 21-11 ATS and 25-8 SU. The Utes rely heavily on three-pointers on offense, ranking 45th in the nation with 239 made (7.7 per game). The Utes are the better of the two teams when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio, ranking 46th in Division I at 1.26. The Utes are a problem for teams on the defensive side, allowing only 4.7 field goals from three-point range per game. Blocking shots is an area where Utah has excelled. The Utes average 5.1 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the nation.
Georgetown and Utah will be facing off for their first head-to-head game in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – UTAH, ATS Winner – UTAH
Notes
The Utah Utes rank 15th for their offensive rating of 114.6. The Georgetown Hoyas have a defensive rating of 152.7 (ranked 24th).
The Utah Utes have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking eighth in the nation with a FG% of 48.7%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Georgetown Hoyas have a losing 1-2 record.
On average, Georgetown attempts 16.8 three pointers and Utah attempts 19.0. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The Georgetown Hoyas sit at 5-3 and the Utah Utes are 9-4.
Utah ranks 46th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.26. Georgetown is ranked lower at 145th with an A/TO of 1.04.
Georgetown ranks 134th in offensive rebounds, while Utah ranks 40th in defensive rebounds.
