The No.4-seeded Utah Valley Wolverines (12-17) face off against the No.5-seeded UMKC Kangaroos (11-18) in the first round of the WAC tournament at Orleans Arena. Action starts at 5:00 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 10.
The Wolverines are expecting a better outcome after their 86-79 loss to Grand Canyon in their last game. Marcel Davis was the team’s leading scorer with 22 points. The Kangaroos, meanwhile, are coming off an 82-53 win against Chicago State in their last outing. LaVell Boyd led the game in scoring by recording 26 points on 8-for-15 shooting.
Davis has been playing at a high level as of late for the Wolverines, averaging 15.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 three-pointers over the last five games.
This game should be a showdown of contrasting styles. The Wolverines (ranked 11th in the nation in possessions per game) prefer an up-and-down style of play, while the Kangaroos (264th) are methodical. Moreover, the Kangaroos are among the nation’s elite on the offensive backboards, ranking 27th in OR% at 32.6%. But the Wolverines rank 34th at corralling defensive rebounds with a DR% of 71.2%.
The Wolverines have emerged victorious in both contests against the Kangaroos this year, including a 79-70 win the last time these two teams met. Konner Frey finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
The Wolverines enter the game with records of 12-17 Straight Up (SU) and 6-10 Against The Spread (ATS). Teams really have to fight for three-pointers against the Wolverines, who have allowed only 6.0 three-pointers to opponents per game.
In the other locker room, the Kangaroos have a record of 3-7 ATS and 11-18 SU. The Kangaroos have one of the best opponent three-point field goal percentages in the country at .338.
With the Wolverines’ last win against UMKC, their SU record is now 6-4 over UMKC in their most recent games. UMKC held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once, while Utah Valley was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – UVU, ATS Winner – UVU
Notes
UMKC won its last game by a 29-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Utah Valley is 4-6. UMKC is 1-5 in blowouts this season.
The Utah Valley Wolverines have a defensive rating of 104.8 (ranked 71st), while the UMKC Kangaroos have an offensive rating of 102.8 (ranked 237th).
The Utah Valley Wolverines average a field goal percentage of 42.6% this season. The UMKC Kangaroos have a subpar record of 1-14 when opponents have a FG% of 42.6% or greater.
Utah Valley attempts an average of 24.0 three pointers per game and UMKC attempts 19.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Utah Valley Wolverines have a 10-14 record while the UMKC Kangaroos have a 5-7 record.
The Utah Valley Wolverines average 6.0 steals per game. When giving up 6 or more steals, the UMKC Kangaroos have a losing record (7-11) this season.
