A season ago, the Utes earned the 69-68 overtime victory over the Shockers and are looking to repeat. Utah enters play off to a strong start while Wichita State struggles to find its footing, giving the Utes a nice chance at securing a road victory and second win in as many years against the Shockers.
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HOW THE UTAH UTES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
Conner Frankamp, Anton Grady and Landry Shamet are all out for the Shockers, leaving Wichita lacking depth with just a single player scoring more than 7.7 PPG.
Wichita State, although coming off a win on Saturday, is just 3-4 SU and 1-4 ATS this season.
On the other side of the court, Utah has won four straight and ranks No. 24 in the nation. The Utes are scoring 82.1 PPG thanks to very strong 48 percent shooting from the floor.
In their last game, a 96-79 win over IUPU-Fort Worth, Utah got a 21-point outburst from Jakob Poeltl. It was the 7-foot forward’s second straight 20-point game and fourth of the season. He’s also already got a 32-point performance and five double-doubles. He’s averaged 21.3 PPG, 9.9 RPG and has 20 blocks in eight games.
Of course, on Saturday, Utah got at least 15-points from three other players, including Lorenzo Bonam who scored 15 in 21 minutes off the bench, shooting 6-for-7 from the floor.
On the season, Bonam is fourth on the team in scoring with 9.4 PPG. Ahead of him are Poeltl along with fellow forwards Jordan Loveridge and Kyle Kuzma who average 15.8 PPG and 10.6 PPG respectively.
Given their top three scorers are forwards, the Utes have a dominant front court. Given that, in order to cover the spread, which has been a bit difficult for Utah of late, they’ll need production from the backcourt, too, meaning Bonam and Brandon Taylor—who leads the team with 31 assists—are key.
HOW THE WICHITA STATE SHOCKERS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
As noted, the Utes have been good SU, but have struggled to live up to expectations, faltering ATS. Over their last five games, they’re just 1-4 ATS.
Defensively, the Utes have also faltered, allowing the opposition to score 74.2 PPG, ranking them in the bottom half of the nation. They’re also allowing a staggering 42.3 percent shooting from three-point range as the opposition generally needs to beat Utah on the outside thanks to their strong presence in the paint behind Poeltl.
Fortunately for the Shockers, they match up well with guards Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet likely able to dominate in the backcourt.
The biggest question is whether or not the team’s collection of forwards, particularly with Grady sidelined—will be able to hold their own. Markis McDuffie is the team’s leading forward, but in his six games, he’s reached double-digit points just twice, scoring four or fewer three times. He’s also pulling down an average of just 3.2 rebounds per game.
If McDuffie isn’t able to elevate his game, the Shockers will need the presence down low from someone be it Zach Brown, Shaquille Morris or Rashard Kelly. With Grady out, Kelly leads the team in rebounds with just 4.1 per game.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Shockers have done reasonably well defensively, but struggled on offense while the Utes are pretty much a direct opposite. Likewise, Wichita State will need this game to focus on the backcourt, while the Utes thrive in the paint.
Overall, Utah has the edge in height and health. They’re also playing better brand of basketball so far this year. I think the Utes get the win on the road thanks to a deep roster, but the Shockers are beginning to play better. Morris and Brown each scored at least a dozen in their last game, showing an improved front court. As for Baker and VanVleet, they’re proven guards.
Utah 74, Wichita State 69
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Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet, click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The contest between the Utah Runnin’ Utes and Wichita State Shockers will take place Saturday, December 12, 2015, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Intrust Bank Arena. You can watch the game live on ESPN2.
