It will be a battle between Pac-12 opponents when the Utah Runnin’ Utes (18-7) welcome the Washington State Cougars (9-15) to Jon M. Huntsman Center. Action begins at 5:00 pm ET on Sunday, Feb. 14 and can be seen on PAC.
The Runnin’ Utes were victorious over Washington 90-82 on Wednesday. Jakob Poeltl was the team’s leading scorer with 23 points on 11-for-12 shooting. The Cougars, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 88-81 loss to Colorado on Thursday. Josh Hawkinson played well, accounting for his 17th double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Scoring chances at the line might be quite scarce for the Cougars in this matchup. They are 292nd in the nation in FTA rate (32.0), while Utah is among the nation’s least foul-prone teams (allowing a rate of just 23.8, ranking fifth in the country).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Runnin’ Utes won the first game 92-71. Jordan Loveridge was a top performer in the victory with 22 points, four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and five three-pointers.
The Runnin’ Utes have gone 18-7 Straight Up (SU) and 10-13-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have only managed a record of 2-8 ATS. The Runnin’ Utes have no trouble scoring as they rank 45th in the nation in offense with 78.8 points per game. Utah’s defense has fallen apart in the past 10 games. Its average points allowed per game rose to 83.8 during that span, compared to its 70.4 season average. An area where the Runnin’ Utes are particularly strong is defensive rebounding where they average 28.0 per game, 28th in Division I.
On the other side, the Cougars have 9-15 SU and 10-13 ATS records. The Washington State defense has allowed an average of 69.7 points per game during the last 10 games, lower than their season average of 76.2. When it comes to defending the rim, the Cougars are one of the best in the nation with an average of 4.8 blocks per game.
In their previous meeting this season, Utah beat Washington State, moving its SU record against Washington State to 6-3 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. Additionally, Utah leads the matchup ATS with a record of 5-4. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Utah held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last five meetings. Washington State never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Utah, ATS Winner – Utah
Notes
Utah averages 78.8 points per game (ranked 45th). Washington State, on the other hand, allows 76.2 points per game (ranked 211th).
Ranked 25th, the Utah Runnin’ Utes have an offensive rating of 114.6. The Washington State Cougars rank 252nd with a defensive rating of just 106.3.
The Utah Runnin’ Utes have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking 10th in the nation with a FG% of 49.4%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Washington State Cougars are winless with a 0-4 record.
On average, Utah attempts 20.0 three pointers and Washington State attempts 17.0. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The Utah Runnin’ Utes sit at 11-2 and the Washington State Cougars are 5-2.
Utah ranks 79th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.22. Washington State is ranked lower at 244th with an A/TO of .95.
Washington State ranks 329th in offensive rebounds, while Utah ranks at 28th in defensive rebounds.
Utah averages a forced turnover rate of 15.3% this season. Washington State has a 9-11 record when it suffers a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
