It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with an Arizona State-Utah prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Arizona State-Utah.
The Arizona State Sun Devils will miss the NCAA Tournament this season. Coach Bobby Hurley has endured a frustrating and emotionally exhausting journey which has included the difficult decision of having to dismiss a player from the team. Hurley recently spoke about having to kick BJ Freeman off the Sun Devils.
“It was just unfortunate that it came to this,” Hurley said. “He’s our leading scorer and a very productive player for us. It’s just we’ve had too many instances of either player or coach conduct with BJ, and he was already suspended once. It was a tough decision to make, but it was based on this year, and he’s got another season to play. I’m sure that he’s going to still have a really good market for a place to land next year.”
Arizona State’s roster problems got worse after the Freeman suspension. Jayden Quaintance (right leg) and Alston Mason (sickness) didn’t play against BYU, which left the Sun Devils with just five regular rotational players. A few bench warmers who had barely played this season were thrust into emergency duty against BYU in a game the Devils lost by 10. They trailed by 15 or more points for a good chunk of that contest, which was never especially close. Utah being favored by 7.5 points the night before this game (the line might have moved by the time you read this article) is a reaction to ASU’s severe roster limitations and problems.
Here are the Arizona State-Utah College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Arizona State-Utah Odds
Arizona State: +7.5 (-106)
Moneyline: +260
Utah: -7.5 (-114)
Moneyline: -330
Over: 146.5 (-120)
Under: 146.5 (-102)
How to Watch Arizona State vs Utah
Time: 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN Plus
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Arizona State Will Cover The Spread/Win
Arizona State is shorthanded, but let’s keep in mind that Utah is not in a good situation in its own right. Coach Craig Smith got fired, so an interim coach and staff have to handle what is left of a very disappointing regular season. Utah will miss the NCAA Tournament for yet another season. Morale around the program is low, and frustration is high. How can anyone trust Utah, given everything which is swirling around the program in a year of agony and failure? Arizona State doesn’t have to win this game, it just has to lose by seven points or fewer to cover. That seems like a realistic possibility, even with the roster limitations the Sun Devils have.
Why Utah Will Cover The Spread/Win
Arizona State likely being down to five rotational players gives Utah an excellent chance of being able to cover a spread — 7.5 points — which is not tiny but also not gigantic. Over the course of 40 full minutes, ASU’s lack of depth is likely to show up, giving Utah the chance to gradually extend its lead and pull away late to win by 10 or more. As long as Utah is leading by four or five points midway through the second half, it can then make its big push late and knock out the shorthanded Sun Devils.
Final Arizona State-Utah Prediction & Pick
You will want to check the status reports on ASU players. If one player who did not play against BYU is able to play against Utah, you might see significant line movement toward Arizona State. All in all, this is a game you don’t want to bet on right away. Do the lineup check first. Then maybe watch the first 15 minutes of the game to see how the lineups are and aren’t working. Then make a halftime or early second-half bet.
Final Arizona State-Utah Prediction & Pick: Arizona State +7.5
The post Arizona State vs Utah prediction, pick, college basketball odds appeared first on ClutchPoints.
