Arizona (13-4, 7-4) at Utah (7-7, 4-6)
- Time: 4PM PST | 6PM CST | 7PM EST
- Location: Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, UT
- TV: FS1
Tip-Off
This is a competitive series that sees Arizona with a 35-30 advantage; however, the Wildcats have a 14-2 lead since Utah joined the Pac-12. The Utes have a 21-11 margin in Salt Lake City and 12-7 in Huntsman Center.
Arizona has won four of it’s last five as a postponement at Oregon was involved in that mix. The Wildcats’ loss was a 73-64 home decision against Stanford. Utah has won three out of five, including a rousing come-from-behind victory over Colorado on Saturday.
Vs. The Spread
Arizona:
- The OVER has been the play in 10 of Arizona’s last 15 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona’s last 5 games on the road
- The total has also gone OVER in 8 of the Wildcats’ last 12 Pac-12 games
Utah:
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of the Utes’ last five games
- Utah is 15-5 SU in it’s last 20 home games
- The total has gone OVER in 12 of Utah’s last 15 Pac-12 games
Last Time Out
Guard James Akinjo had 13 of his 20 points in the second half as Arizona got back into the win column with a 71-50 home win over Cal. The Wildcats led by as many as 29 with Jordan Brown and Azuolas Tubelis adding 12 points apiece.
Alfonso Plummer scored 21 of his 23 points in the final 7:49 as Utah rallied past Colorado, 77-74. The Buffaloes led 65-46 with 8:46 remaining before Utah closed on a 31-9 tear which was fueled by Plummer. Timmy Allen had 17 points and 10 boards for the Utes.
| Teams | Spread | Money Line | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | -1.5 (-110) | -125 | O 142 (-110) |
| Utah | +1.5 (-110) | +105 | U 142 (-110) |
Wildcats Stat Pack
- Arizona’s size is always a factor as the Wildcats lead the Pac-12 and rank 13th nationally in rebounding margin (+9.0).
- Freshman wing Dalen Terry is averaging 9.5 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 70.6% from the floor (12-17) and 6 of 8 from the 3-point line in the last four games.
- Freshman forward Azuolas Tubelis was inserted into the starting lineup 11 games ago and has become a key contributor in Pac-12 play as he averages 12.9 points (18th), 7.1 rebounds (5th) while shooting 49.1% (14th).
Wildcats Grease Board
Arizona’s size and depth off the bench look like problems for Utah as 7-1 Christian Koloko (49.2 FG%, 5.0 rpg) and 6-11 Jordan Brown (59.3 FG%, 10.1 ppg) and Azuolas Tubelis (10.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg) have the opportunity to assert their skills in the paint. Utah’s Mikhail Jantunen (9.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg) has to have a big game on both ends of the floor and stay out of foul trouble. James Akinjo (14.8 ppg, 5.1 apg) and the scoring prowess of Timmy Allen (16.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and Alfonso Plummer (13.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg) will be interesting should this get into a fast tempo.
Utes Stat Pack
- Sophomore Mikael Jantunen currently leads the Pac-12 in shooting 65 percent from the field.
- The Utes are shooting 51.9 percent from the field over their last three games as the 54.9 percent effort was second best of the season to a 55.8 percentage in an earlier loss to Oregon.
- Timmy Allen has averaged 18.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists over the Utes’ last five games.
Utes Grease Board
Coach Larry Krystkowiak wouldn’t mind seeing Alfonso Plummer reel off another offensive output as he did against Colorado last weekend. Plummer and Timmy Allen make the Utes a threat to beat anyone in the nation every time out. Allen gets to the basket better than anyone on this team as he has gotten to the foul line 85 times and made 62. Utah needs to shoot the three (32.6%) well to win this game as the Utes are a (-1.7) on the glass while Arizona outrebounds it’s opponents by (+9.0).
Winner: Arizona (-1.5) 75, Utah 69
Over-Under: Take OVER 142
