Cincinnati Bearcats vs Utah Runnin’ Utes Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Cincinnati vs Utah NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Salt Lake City.

Cincinnati vs Utah Prediction

Betting on today's Bearcats and Runnin' Utes game? Catch the action at Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, UT, as the Runnin' Utes hosts this showdown at 10:00 ET on CBSS. The over/under for this Big 12 conference contest is set at 137.5 points, with Utah being favored by -1 at home against Cincinnati.

Cincinnati vs. Utah Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Cincinnati Bearcats at Utah Runnin' Utes
Where: Salt Lake City at Jon M. Huntsman Center
Date: Tuesday, January 28th
Betting Odds UTAH -1, CIN -108 | UTAH -113 O/U 137.5

Bearcats Preview: Is an Upset Waiting to Happen on the Road?

Cincinnati Bearcats Recent Game/Games

The Bearcats fell to 12-7 on the season after a tough 80-52 road loss to BYU on Saturday. Cincinnati entered the game as +6.5 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game were 132, falling short of the 137.5 O/U line.

Cincinnati trailed 28-23 at halftime but struggled in the second half, scoring just 29 points while allowing 52 to BYU. The Bearcats will need to regroup after this one-sided loss.

Bearcats Offense Breakdown

Cincinnati's offense struggled in their last game, scoring just 52 points with a field goal percentage of 37.7%. Their effective field goal percentage was 42.6%, and they shot only 17.9% from three-point range, hitting 5 of 28 attempts. At the free-throw line, they were 1 for 4, shooting 25%.

Richie Saunders led the way with 21 points, connecting on 5 of 7 threes for a 71.4% shooting percentage from deep. Egor Demin added 15 points and 7 assists, shooting 60% from both the field and three-point range. Simas Lukosius contributed 14 points, hitting 4 of 8 threes, while Dawson Baker shot 71.4% overall, finishing with 11 points in 15 minutes.

Bearcats Team Defense

Even with Cincinnati's defense allowing 80 points, the Bearcats couldn't slow down their opponent's offense, which shot 57% from the field. Cincinnati gave up 28 field goals on 49 attempts.

The Bearcats struggled to defend the three-point line, where their opponent hit 15 of 24 threes, shooting 62%. Cincinnati also sent them to the free-throw line 11 times, where they made 9 free throws.

Runnin' Utes Preview: Does Utah Have a Shot at a Home Win?

Utah Runnin' Utes Recent Game/Games

Utah fell to 12-8 on the season after a 76-61 home loss to Baylor on Saturday. Entering the game as +2 point underdogs, the Utes not only lost but also failed to cover the spread.

Utah trailed 38-31 at halftime and couldn’t close the gap, scoring 30 points in the 2nd half while allowing 38. The combined points of 137 fell short of the 144.5 O/U line.

Runnin' Utes Offense Breakdown

Utah's offense struggled from beyond the arc in their last game, hitting just 5 of 23 threes for a 21.7% success rate. Overall, they shot 40% from the field, with an effective field goal percentage of 43.6%. Their two-point shooting was more efficient, connecting on 53.1% of their attempts (17/32).

At the free-throw line, the Utes made 12 of 20 attempts, shooting 60%. They also grabbed 14 offensive rebounds and dished out 14 assists. Norchad Omier led the way with 22 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 66.7% overall and from three (2/3). VJ Edgecombe added 21 points, hitting 4 of 6 threes.

Runnin' Utes Team Defense

Despite giving up 76 points, Utah's defense held their opponent to 40% shooting from the field, with 22 made baskets on 55 attempts. They allowed 17 two-pointers on 32 attempts, resulting in 53% shooting from inside the arc.

From three-point range, Utah's defense limited their opponent to 5 made threes on 23 attempts, a 21% shooting performance. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 20 times, where they made 12, shooting 60% from the stripe. Utah gave up 14 offensive rebounds in the game.

Bearcats vs Runnin' Utes Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

When looking at their past ten road matchups, Cincinnati has an ATS record of 5-5 while averaging 66 per game. The team went 4-6 overall in these games.
In their last three games at home, the Runnin' Utes have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 1-2 vs. the spread. The team averaged 56 points per game in this stretch.
The last ten games that Cincinnati was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 4-5-1 while going 1-9 straight up.
Over the team's last five games as the favorite, the Runnin' Utes struggled vs the spread going just 1-4. However, they still had a straight up mark of 4-1.