The Stanford Cardinal take on the Utah Utes in a Pac-12 matchup on Thursday, February 29. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET, and the game will air on the Pac-12 Network.
Stanford (12-15, 7-10 Pac-12) is on a four-game losing streak in conference play. Their latest loss came against Oregon State. The Cardinal struggled on defense in the 85-73 loss, and were out-rebounded by a significant margin. Stanford ranks 106th at KenPom. Earlier this season, they defeated Utah 79-73. In that win, forward Maxime Raynaud led the team with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
The Cardinal are a solid three-point shooting squad, going 38.1% from the perimeter (12th in the nation). They score 76.9 points per game (76th in the nation) and allow 76.4 points per game (288th in the nation). Raynaud leads the team in scoring and rebounding, and all five starters average in the double digits in scoring.
Utah (16-11, 7-9 Pac-12) has lost four of their last five games. The Utes’ most recent loss came against Colorado by a score of 89-65. They struggled with ball security in the loss, turning the ball over 10 times to Colorado’s four. The Utes rank 51st at KenPom.
They score 77.8 points per game (53rd in the nation) and grab 39.2 rebounds per game (20th in the nation). Defensively, the Utes let up 73.4 points per game (237th in the nation). Branden Carlson leads the team with 16.5 points and seven rebounds per game. The Utes currently sit in Joe Lunardi’s First Four Out at ESPN, so a tournament berth is potentially within reach for them if they can finish the season strong.
Stanford vs. Utah odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Utah -8.5
Total: 157.5
Moneyline: Utah -395, Stanford +310
Pick: Stanford +8.5
Both of these teams have seriously been struggling as of late. The Cardinal bring a strong three-point shooting presence to this matchup, and the Utes will easily beat Stanford on the boards. However, after Stanford’s victory earlier this season, I think that this game is within reach for the Cardinal to cover on the road.