NCAAB Pick: Kerr Kriisa Over 5.5 Assists (-105) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Thursday’s are for the Pac-12 and other West Coast games. These are the nights when those East Coasters have to stay up a little past their bedtime. It’s all worth it, though. The Pac-12 will feature the Utah Utes vs. the Arizona Wildcats, which could be an epic showdown in Arizona. Here are three NCAAB picks to consider for the game.
College basketball enthusiasts that aren’t sure where to make their bets should check these Arizona betting sites out.
Utah Utes vs. Arizona Wildcats
Thursday, February 16, 2023 – 10:00 PM EST at McKale Center
Matchup Analysis
The Utah Utes will take on the Arizona Wildcats in a meaningful Pac-12 matchup. Utah has won two straight games after defeating Colorado last Saturday. They’ve played well at home but have struggled on the road, only earning a win against Oregon State on the road in 2023. Now they’ll face Arizona on the road, not an easy task. Arizona sustained a surprising loss to Stanford last weekend and is 11-4 in conference play after that loss.
Arizona’s offense is one of the best in the nation. The Wildcats have shot 36.8% from deep and 56.6% from inside the arc. They will attempt a high volume of threes but can also dominate the offensive glass, with 33.3% of offensive rebounds.
Utah's Performance
Utah won’t earn a lot of turnovers and has only held teams to 28.6% of offensive rebounds. The Wildcats should be able to limit takeaways, earn offensive rebounds and potentially get to the line at a good enough rate.
The Utes still hold teams to 28.2% from deep and 43.5% from inside the arc. They force many bad shots but need to clean up the glass better. I’m afraid they’ll struggle to do that against the Wildcats tonight.
Utah is shooting 34.8% from deep and 49.8% from inside the arc. They should also be able to keep turnovers down but likely won’t dominate the offensive glass as much as Arizona will. The Utes don’t get to the foul line as often as Arizona. That will hurt them. On top of that, Utah has had its shots blocked nearly 10% of the time.
Will the Wildcats Take the Win?
Arizona has given the ball away plenty this season on the offensive end. But Utah really isn’t an aggressive defense, and I like Arizona to escape with fewer turnovers in this game. Their defense has held teams to 32.6% from deep and 46% from inside the arc.
The Wildcats have also limited teams to 26.4% offensive rebounds. They’ve also been a bit lucky, with teams shooting below 70% from the foul line this season. Utah, on the road, could end up putting up similar free throw numbers too.
I like Arizona to escape with a victory, but beating Utah is always challenging, especially knowing that the Utes have a better defense than Arizona analytically. Here are a few player props for tonight’s Pac-12 matchup between two of the better teams in the conference.
Azuolas Tubelis (Arizona)
- Over/Under 9.5 Rebounds
Tubelis only had six rebounds against the Utah Utes earlier this season. But he’s averaging 9.3 on the year and ranks in the top 150 in offensive rebounds percentage and defensive rebounding percentage.
Arizona should be solid on the offensive glass and at least limit Utah on the offensive glass. Tubelis would be the reason why. He’s had nine games with at least ten rebounds. Arizona should cruise to a victory with a great rebounding effort as long as he stays out of foul trouble.
NCAAB Pick: Azuolas Tubelis Over 9.5 Rebounds (-125) at BetOnline
Oumar Ballo (Arizona)
- Over/Under 8.5 Rebounds
Ballo should also ball out underneath the rum. He only had seven rebounds against Utah last time but averages nearly nine a game. He’s stayed out of foul trouble over the last couple of games and has earned plenty of games with at least nine rebounds. Ballo ranks in the top 100 in defensive rebounding percentage and is 170th in offensive rebounding. We’ll need Tubelis and Ballo to crash the glass hardcore tonight. They will.
NCAAB Pick: Oumar Ballo Over 8.5 Rebounds (-130) at BetOnline
Kerr Kriisa (Arizona)
- Over/Under 5.5 Assists
Kerr Kriisa is one of the reasons Arizona is one of the best teams in the assist category. Kriisa earned a 29.3 assist rate, which is 80th in all college basketball. Arizona also assists on about two of every three shots, which is third in the nation. He had nine assists against Utah last time and never really looked to shoot it. The NCAAB odds are telling me to back Kriisa tonight.
NCAAB Pick: Kerr Kriisa Over 5.5 Assists (-105) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
