The 2023 WAC Tournament has provided plenty of great games and drama thus far. On Friday night, the Semifinal Round figures to give fans more thrilling action. An in-state rivalry will be renewed as the 3-seed Southern Utah Thunderbirds battle the 2-seed Utah Valley Wolverines. Less than a three hours drive separates these two schools, and with a spot in the WAC Championship Game on the line, this semifinal matchup figures to be electric. The Southern Utah vs Utah Valley college basketball betting picks view the higher seed as a modest favorite.
The following game preview provides the college basketball betting odds, trends and KenPom ratings before sharing our official Southern Utah vs Utah Valley prediction for the WAC Tournament semifinal matchup.
Southern Utah vs Utah Valley Prediction | College Basketball Betting Picks
WAC Tournament Semifinal
(3) Southern Utah Thunderbirds (21-11, 12-6 WAC) vs. (2) Utah Valley Wolverines (25-7, 15-3 WAC)
Time: Approx. 11:30 p.m. EST
Venue: Orleans Arena — Las Vegas, NV
Coverage: ESPN+
Southern Utah Thunderbirds Preview
Southern Utah got all it could handle from another pesky in-state rival on Thursday. The Thunderbirds’ balanced offensive attack was on full display as they managed to overcome a late deficit and squeak past 11-seed Utah Tech by a single point. Todd Simon’s team has been one of the top offensive teams in the WAC this season. In the program’s very first year as a member of the conference, Southern Utah is now just two wins away from winning the WAC Tournament Championship.
Utah Valley Wolverines Preview
The Utah Valley basketball program has put forth some quality teams in recent years, but this may be the school’s best-ever shot at making its first NCAA Tournament. After receiving a First Round bye, the Wolverines began their WAC Tournament run with a convincing 14-point win over Tarleton State in Thursday’s quarterfinal. Justin Harmon and Trey Woodbury scored 23 and 21 points, respectively in the win to lead the way for Mark Madsen’s squad.
Southern Utah vs Utah Valley College Basketball Betting Picks and Odds
College basketball betting odds for Southern Utah vs Utah Valley can be found at BetOnline Sportsbook.
Moneyline: SUU: (+150) | UVU: (-170)
Point Spread: SUU: +4 (-112) | UVU: -4 (-108)
Total: 150.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
College Basketball KenPom Ratings
The following table displays the KenPom adjusted efficiency ratings for the two teams involved in Friday’s second WAC Tournament Semifinal. In addition to overall efficiency margin, offensive, defensive and tempo ratings are included.
| Team | Overall AdjEM (Rk) | AdjO (Rk) | AdjD (Rk) | AdjT (Rk) |
| Southern Utah | +6.47 (105) | 110.3 (87) | 103.9 (143) | 72.0 (16) |
| Utah Valley | +11.20 (78) | 107.0 (141) | 95.8 (34) | 70.0 (48) |
Southern Utah vs Utah Valley College Basketball Betting Trends
- Thunderbirds are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following an ATS loss.
- Seven of the Thunderbirds’ last eight games played on a Friday have gone OVER the total.
- Wolverines are 14-3 ATS in their last 17 games against teams with a winning record.
- Five of the Wolverines’ last six games overall have stayed UNDER the total.
- Thunderbirds are 4-1 straight up in five head-to-head meetings against the Wolverines at the Division I level.
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Southern Utah vs Utah Valley Prediction | College Basketball Betting Picks
Friday’s WAC Tournament semifinal will be the third meeting between these in-state foes after both teams were able to pick up wins over one another on their respective home floors during the regular season. Southern Utah won by a dozen in Cedar City back in late January before Utah Valley returned the favor with a nine-point win in Orem a couple of weeks later.
Relative to other teams in the WAC, there’s no denying the offensive firepower that these two programs possess. This firepower was on display in both regular-season meetings which featured combined totals of 146 and 173 points, respectively. Even with the game total set fairly high for tonight’s rubber match, bettors have good reason to back the Over.
Both Southern Utah and Utah Valley are similar in that they are hardly a one-trick pony offensively. Tevian Jones (17.6 points per game) is the focal point for the Thunderbirds, but each of Maizen Fausett, Drake Allen and Harrison Butler is also averaging north of 11 points on the season. Meanwhile, the Wolverines possess a three-headed monster in the backcourt with Le’Tre Darthard, Justin Harmon and Trey Woodbury all averaging 13+ points per game.
Another key component to this handicap is the fact that both teams rank top-50 in adjusted tempo according to KenPom. Aside from Utah Valley’s strong defensive ranking, there is very little that suggests a low-scoring affair is likely in this matchup. However, the fact that Southern Utah has so many capable scorers should help to counteract the Wolverines’ defensive prowess.
OVER THE TOTAL will be our official college basketball betting Southern Utah vs Utah Valley prediction for the WAC Tournament Semifinal Round matchup.
For what it’s worth, the ESPN Matchup Predictor gives Utah Valley a 58.3% chance to win this game outright.
Bet: OVER 150.5 (-110 at BetOnline Sportsbook)
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