The VCU Rams hope to keep their road show going when they visit the Utah Ute in the NIT quarterfinals tonight. Our March Madness odds show the Utes are favored to win at home.
VCU has wins at South Florida and Villanova to its name, and head coach Ryan Odom would love to knock his old rival out of the March Madness bracket. He’s familiar with Utah from his time at Utah State, and his team’s stifling defense will look to cause problems.
Utah has an 11-game win streak at home against non-conference opponents, and a 12th straight victory would send the Utes to Hinkle Fieldhouse for the semis. Guard Deivon Smith posted a triple-double in their win over Iowa, and he will look to lead their high-powered offense to another victory.
Our March Madness picks and predictions for VCU vs. Utah on Wednesday, March 27 break down which side of the spread you should be on for this contest.
VCU vs Utah best odds
VCU vs Utah picks and predictions
Ryan Odom is not the only person with extra incentive for the VCU Rams to knock the Utah Utes off on Wednesday night. Sean Bairstow and Max Shulga, the two MPG leaders for the Rams, are transfers from Utah State as well. They’re key components of a defense that is smothering opponents this season, a key reason we’re backing the Rams to cover the spread.
Utah thrives on its offense, especially from downtown. And when the Utes can’t make outside shots, they lose. In fact, they’ve had only four games this season where they shot below 30% from beyond the arc — and they lost them all.
That includes their Pac-12 conference tourney loss to Colorado, who held them to 8-for-30 on the day. Gabe Madsen, who went 7-for-15 from downtown in Utah’s win over Iowa, made just one of nine attempts. Madsen’s a volume shooter with at least six attempts in 13 of his last 14 games, but he won’t get those kinds of looks against VCU.
The Rams are allowing teams to shoot just 31% from downtown this season, and have held their two NIT opponents to a combined 10 of 42. They rank in the 300s in tempo, don’t allow many fast break chances, and protect the rim exceptionally well.
At the other end, Utah doesn’t guard the 3-point line very well. That’s good news for the Rams, who rank 70th in 3-point FG% and are 21-for-56 from downtown so far in the tournament.
VCU’s biggest issue on offense is turning the ball over, but that’s not an area where Utah thrives. The Utes rank 326th in turnover rate on defense.
Utah also doesn't get to the line very often, with a 27.8 FT rate that ranks just 310th in college basketball. And when they do get there, the Utes struggle. They’re shooting 65.5% from the line, with Smith making less than 70% of his attempts.
That will allow the Rams to keep the score close down the stretch. Take advantage of the line movement and bet on VCU to cover the 7.5-point spread.
My best bet: VCU +7.5 (-105 at FanDuel)
VCU vs Utah same-game parlay
VCU +7.5
Deivon Smith Under 14.5 points
Deivon Smith Under 6.5 assists
VCU’s defense doesn’t just shut down shooters, but it also limits what teams can do in halfcourt. The Rams are allowing only 11 assists per game, and even the Dayton Flyers — who scored 91 points — only had 13 dimes in their recent game.
Deivon Smith isn’t a good outside shooter, and he’s going to be limited in what he can do in full-court. That, combined with VCU’s defensive prowess, should keep him limited below both his point and assist totals just as Colorado did in the Pac-12 tournament.
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VCU vs Utah spread and Over/Under analysis
- The spread has moved from -6 to -7.5 in favor of Utah since opening.
- VCU is 6-1 ATS in its last seven road games.
- The total of 145.5 has moved little since opening.
- VCU’s last six games have all gone Under the total.
VCU vs Utah betting trend to know
VCU has covered in 16 of its last 22 games (+9.40 Units / 39% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for VCU vs. Utah.
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VCU vs Utah game info
| Location: | Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, UT |
| Date: | Wednesday, March 27, 2024 |
| Tip-off: | 9:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN2 |
