Washington vs Utah Pac-12 Tournament Picks and Predictions: What Can Brown Do to Utes?

The No. 6 seed Washington Huskies (16-14 overall, 11-9 in Pac-12) face off with the No. 11 seed Utah Utes (11-19, 4-16) in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Nevada.

Mike Hopkins’ Huskies got hot to end the year, winning three of their last four games. They’ll look to keep the momentum going in a tight matchup with the Utes, who went the opposite route by losing three straight to end the year. 

Check out our college basketball betting picks and predictions for the Utah Utes and Washington Huskies on Wednesday, March 9.

Washington vs Utah odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

Washington opened -1.5 and the line quickly moved to -1 across most books, where it resides as of late Tuesday night. The total opened at 143.5 and was quickly bet down a few points to 141 by the time of this writing.

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.

Washington vs Utah predictions

• Prediction: Washington -1 (-110)
• Prediction: Over 141 (-110)
• Best bet: Washington -1 (-110)

Predictions made on 3/9/2022 at 1:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Washington vs Utah game info

• Location: T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, NV
• Date: Wednesday, March 9, 2022
• Tip-off: 11:30 p.m. ET
• TV: Pac-12 Network

Washington at Utah betting preview

Injuries

Washington: Samuel Ariyibi F (Out).
Utah: Dusan Mahorcic F (Out), Bostyn Holt F (Out).

Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.

Betting trend to know

Washington is 5-0 against the spread in its last 5 games as the favorite. Find more NCAAB betting trends for Utah vs Washington. ]. Find more NCAA betting trends for Washington vs. Utah.

Washington vs Utah picks and predictions

Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.

Spread analysis

It’s been a season to forget in Salt Lake City. Utah got off to an 8-4 start to the season in a feigned show of competency before ultimately suffering a 1-12 stretch from late December to early February. It’s worth noting that the Utes’ only win in that unpleasant streak came against 3-27 Oregon State. 

Craig Smith’s first year on campus has not been a successful one, and the Utes didn’t show many signs of life to end the year, losing three straight. The offense ranks 212th nationally with only 69.7 points per game and checks in at 95th in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency. The defense is worse, surrendering over 70 points per game while ranking 168th in defensive efficiency. Forward Branden Carlson leads the way with 13.6 points and 6.0 rebounds. No other player averages double-digits in the scoring department.

Washington barely secured a winning record thanks in large part to star guard Terrell Brown Jr., who averages 21.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. The Huskies may need Brown to perform to advance considering he scored 30 points in a narrow 77-73 win over Utah in overtime on Jan. 29. Washington also won the first matchup 74-68 in a strange game in which Utah secured 12 offensive rebounds but turned the ball over 19 times.

The Huskies are mediocre to below average on both sides of the ball, ranking 161st in offensive efficiency and 105th in defensive efficiency per KenPom. 

The Huskies appear to be the better team at first glance, considering their 11-9 conference record is far superior to Utah’s 4-16 mark in PAC-12 play. The analytics, on the other hand, paint this as a very close matchup. Only one spot separates these teams in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency metric, with Washington checking in at 117th and Utah right behind at 118th. 

The trends like Washington, who is 5-0 ATS in its last five games as the favorite and 4-1 ATS in its last five overall. Utah has lost four straight games ATS.

The slimmest of margins separate these teams statistically, but we’ll go with the hotter team. Star power plays in March, and the Huskies have a true gem in Brown.

Prediction: Washington -1 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

Both teams have played slightly to the Over this season, as Utah is 16-14 and Washington is 16-13-1. The Huskies have been surpassing the point total frequently as of late, going 9-2-1 to the Over in their last 12 games.

Washington likes to speed things up, ranking 55th in adjusted tempo, per KenPom. The Huskies have scored at least 70 points in four of their last five games and should be able to score against a mediocre Utah defense. Utah isn’t anything special offensively, but they rank within the Top-100 in offensive efficiency and should be able to score in this pace-up environment. 

These teams met in the first round of last year’s tournament and combined for a whopping 193 points in a 98-95 Utah win. Some of the names on the roster have changed, but it’s evidence that T-Mobile Arena may welcome points in this first-round matchup. 

Predicting totals in the first round of a conference tournament is always a dicey proposition due to the uncertain factors with the neutral venue. Given the sheer number of points these teams combined for only a year ago in this same arena, we like these teams to put enough points on the scoreboard to find the Over.

Prediction: Over 141 (-110)

Best bet

These teams are about as close as possible from an analytical standpoint, even though the final records would disagree.

Washington has done a better job of finding the victory and has the much better results since conference play began. The Huskies are playing well of late and have a star player in guard Terrell Brown Jr. to lean on in late-game situations.

We like the Huskies to advance. 

Pick: Washington - 1 (-110)

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