Utah Utes vs Indiana State Sycamores Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 04/02/2024

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Venue:  Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN 

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Utah +2.5, SHU -2.5; Over/Under:  163.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Utah +2.5, SHU -2.5; Over/Under:  163.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Utah +2.5, SHU -2.5; Over/Under:  163.5 points

Utah Utes:  22-14 (9-11) (6th place, Pac-12)

Indiana State Sycamores:  31-6 (17-3) (1st place, MVC)

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Utah Utes:  4-1  last 5

Indiana State Sycamores:  4-1  last 5

Utah is entering this game with a 22-14 record overall, a 9-11 record in conference games, and they are 3-3 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the VCU Rams in their last game. Gabe Madsen led the team in points per game in that game with 18 while Branden Carlson was next on the team with 17. Deivon Smith led the team in assists with 12 in that game while Deivon Smith led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 44.4% from the field, 39.4% from 3-point range, and 50% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 78.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 72.4 PPG against them. Utah has an ATS record of 19-17 this season and their O/U record is 19-16-1.

Indiana State is entering this game with a 31-6 record overall, a 17-3 conference record, and they are 6-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Cincinnati Bearcats in their last game. Robbie Avila led the team in points in that game with 22 while Ryan Conwell was next on the team with 18. Robbie Avila led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Jayson Kent led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 44.8% from the field, 43.3% from 3-point range, and 74.1% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 84.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 72.6 PPG against them. Indiana State has an ATS record of 21-14-1 this season and their O/U record is 21-15.

The current betting odds have Indiana State listed as a 2.5 point favorite in this semi-final game for the NIT according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Indiana State has looked really good in their games all season with their 31-6 record overall and their 17-3 conference record which had them at the top of the MVC during the regular season. They were the best team in the MVC this year but they lost to Drake in the finals of their conference tournament which ended up seeing them get snubbed from the NCAA Tournament. They have looked really good in their neutral site games this year with their 6-1 record in those and they have looked great in this tournament too. Meanwhile, Utah has looked good in their games this season with their 22-14 record overall, but they only had a 9-11 conference record which had them in the bottom half of the Pac-12 during the regular season. They have looked good in this tournament but they have also been playing with a lot of home advantage which opposing teams have to deal with altitude in those games too. Now they will be at a neutral site for this one and they haven't looked as good in those games with their 3-3 record this season. Indiana State has been playing this tournament under the impression that they should have been in the NCAA Tournament and they were the best team in their conference all year too. Indiana State isn't going to stop here now that they are so close to a tournament win so look for them to take care of business in this game. The best way to place a bet here is on Indiana State to cover the spread in this game. 

Utah Indiana State Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Tuesday, April 2, 2024 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Indiana State 86 Utah 79.

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Utah Utes: 4-18 ATS when the line is +3 to -3. 2-8 ATS after playing 3 consecutive home games. 8-16 ATS after allowing 60 points or less. 15-8 UNDER after a win by 15 points or more. 10-5 UNDER after 3 or more consecutive wins. 8-4 UNDER in tournament semi-final games.

Indiana State Sycamores: 20-11 ATS as a favorite. 30-15 ATS off a home no-cover where the team won straight up as a favorite. 10-3 ATS after a game where they failed to cover the spread. 6-1 UNDER when the total is 160 to 169.5. 8-4 UNDER off a home win scoring 85 or more points. 

Utah Utes:  None.

Indiana State Sycamores:  None.

“These are memories of a lifetime. When you play college athletics- doesn’t matter what sport- that’s a four- or five-year window in your career that these guys always look back on very, very fondly and this will be a game they will remember for the rest of their life.” - Craig Smith after his team’s win against VCU in their last game in the last round of the NIT on Wednesday.

“Everybody’s different so I’ll say this, us not playing was never an option. If you’re a competitor and you have an opportunity to go play great competition and challenge yourself, that would be crazy to end my senior's year or a group that really cares about each other like this and say, 'oh you know, we’re just done with each other.'" - Josh Schertz on his team playing against Utah in this semi-final game for the NIT.

C. Bajema 

B. Carlson 

L. Lovering 

G. Madsen 

R. Worster

R. Avila 

R. Conwell 

J. Kent 

J. Larry 

I. Swope

PPG: B. Carlson (17.5)

APG: D. Smith (6.6)

Reb/G: B. Carlson (6.9)

PPG: R. Avila (17.6)

APG: J. Larry (4.5)

Reb/G: J. Kent (7.9)

Coaches:

Utah Utes: Craig Smith (3rd season)

Indiana State Sycamores: Josh Schertz (3rd season)