Stanford Cardinal vs. Utah Utes Best Bets and Predictions

insidersbettingdigest.com

02 February 2023

The Stanford Cardinal (9-12) started off 0-7 in Pac-12 play, but they aren’t the pushover one would expect in the NCAA basketball games today after putting together a four-game win streak.

The Utah Utes (15-8) can’t overlook Stanford in this matchup, but at the same time, each of their four consecutive wins has come at home, and in three of them, they were double-digit favorites. Either way, the Utes may be battling some injury issues in this meeting but are still -6.5 favorites in Stanford vs Utah betting.

Stanford Cardinal vs. Utah Utes Odds

Stanford Cardinal vs. Utah Utes Information

Stanford Cardinal vs Utah Utes

Location of the game:Jon M. Huntsman Center. Salt Lake City, UT.

Date: Thursday, February 2. 8:00 PM ET

How to watch:Pac 12 Network

Last Game Record

Thursday’s game on the NCAAB schedule is the second meeting of the regular season between Stanford and Utah. The Utes picked up a 71-66 victory on New Year’s Eve on the road as +2.5 underdogs, their third win in the last four meetings – all as underdogs on the NCAAB odds.

Stanford Cardinal vs. Utah Utes Analysis

The Cardinal do bring a four-game win streak into the Stanford vs Utah betting matchup, but all four of those have come at home. The most impressive victory of those was beating Oregon 71-64 when the line was +4 on the Stanford Cardinal odds.

Now the goal for Stanford is to repeat that success, but this time on the road where they are 0-4 this season. The Utes have won consecutive games in the series and both on the road; in fact, Stanford hasn’t visited the Huntsman Center since a 79-65 loss in January of 2021.

The Cardinal have played good defense during their win streak, which should be an advantage in college basketball picks today. The Cardinal have held five straight opponents to 65 points or less, and two of them under 50 points.

Utah is 8-4 in the Pac 12 college basketball standings, two games back from 8-2 UCLA. The Utes had won three in a row but could only manage a split in their visit to Oregon, beating OSU 63-44 but then falling 68-56 to the Ducks on Saturday.

The Utes have a big question mark on Thursday’s college basketball injury report, with Gabe Madsen questionable after hurting his leg against Oregon. Madsen had scored at least a dozen points in three straight games before getting injured just two minutes into the game over the weekend in Eugene.

Odds Breakdown

Stanford Cardinal

Moneyline: +220

Spread: +6.5 (-110)

Over/Under: 133.5

Utah Utes

Moneyline: -270

Spread: -6.5 (-110)

Over/Under: 133.5

Stanford Cardinal vs. Utah Utes Betting Pick and Prediction

Neither of these NCAA basketball teams is going to raise any eyebrows next month when betting on March Madness, but this contest does have the potential to be a very solid Pac-12 matchup.

The Utes are the obviously better team in Stanford vs Utah betting, and they have put together a 10-3 record at home this season. Madsen being questionable is a concern, though, as he is Utah’s second-leading scorer with 11.7 ppg. Utah still has one of the college basketball players who can dictate this game, as Branden Carlson has gone for 21+ points in four of the last seven.

Carlson had 18 points against Stanford on December 31st, and Lazar Stefanovic led the way with 20 points on 6-7 shooting. The Utes were on fire in that game, shooting 58% from the floor, and that was on the road.

Stanford was led by Spencer Jones, who had 16 points in the first meeting, but no other starter scored in double figures. Jones needs a bounce-back game after shooting just 1-6 on Saturday, but the Cardinal also didn’t need him in a 29-point win over Cal.

Ultimately for Stanford vs Utah betting, the four-game win streak for the Cardinal is not as impressive, considering all four victories have come at home. The home team has covered the number in 10 of the last 14 head-to-head games in this series, and until Stanford proves they can win on the road, they are a fade.