VCU +7 (-110) over Utah
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- VCU has won two straight road games against quality opponents to get to this point in the NIT.
- VCU’s defense is every bit as good as that of Utah according to the stats and we should see a close game throughout here.
The Utah Utes will go head-to-head against the VCU Rams in the quarterfinals of the NIT on March 27, 2024, at 9:00 pm ET. DraftKings Sportsbook has listed the Utah Utes as seven-point home favorites in the matchup. Currently, the Utah Utes have received the majority of spread bets, while the VCU Rams are seeing less action. The opening total of 145.5 has led to more bets on the under, with a smaller percentage favoring the over. It's shaping up to be an exciting game between these two competitive teams.
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In Wednesday’s VCU vs Utah matchup, the Utah Utes are the home team. They have thrived there during the NIT thus far, beating UC Irvine and Iowa to reach the quarterfinals. But here, they face a VCU team that has won two straight road games in this tournament. With VCU getting the better of Villanova and South Florida on their home floors, the Rams will be confident they can win this game as well.
For VCU, defense has been the name of the game in the NIT. Entering this VCU vs Utah contest, the Rams have held both of their opponents in this tournament to 65 points or fewer despite playing on the road in both games. Another strong defensive performance from the Atlantic 10 tournament runners-up will give them a real chance to steal another game on the road and advance to the semifinals of this prestigious tournament.
Utah, meanwhile, has used its offense to bully its way to the quarterfinals of this event. The Utes have averaged 87.5 points per game over their first two games of the NIT, including an impressive 91-point showing against Iowa in their last outing. But it should be noted that Iowa is a team that has neglected offense all season long and we could see less from the Utes offensively against a VCU team that actually applies itself on the defensive end of the floor.
The winner of this game will go to Indianapolis for the semifinals of the NIT. This year, the semifinals and finals of this event will be played at Finkle Fieldhouse, the home of the Butler Bulldogs. Whether or not that is a step backward for this event after the semifinals and finals were held at Madison Square Garden for so many years is subjective. But in any case, both of these teams will want to reach that stage with a win tonight.
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NCAABB
Utah Utes
VCU Rams
Team Stats Per Game
Advanced Game Stats
Offense/Defense
| UTAH | Advanced Game Stats | VCU |
|---|---|---|
| 71.1 | Pace | 66.7 |
| 114.1 | Off.Rate | 93.2 |
| .343 | FTr | .363 |
| .447 | 3PAr | .349 |
| .565 | TS% | .487 |
| 53.4 | TRB% | 46.5 |
| 70.7 | AST% | 46.8 |
| 9.9 | STL% | 9.8 |
| 11.1 | BLK% | 7.4 |
| .548 | eFG% | .441 |
| 14.0 | TOV% | 17.7 |
| 33.8 | ORB% | 30.1 |
| .219 | TF/FGA | .261 |
Defense/Offense
| UTAH | Advanced Game Stats | VCU |
|---|---|---|
| 71.1 | Pace | 66.7 |
| 98.7 | Off.Rate | 115.2 |
| .325 | FTr | .328 |
| .402 | 3PAr | .476 |
| .503 | TS% | .560 |
| 46.6 | TRB% | 53.5 |
| 51.5 | AST% | 56.4 |
| 9.3 | STL% | 12.1 |
| 12.3 | BLK% | 15.6 |
| .465 | eFG% | .525 |
| 15.0 | TOV% | 14.1 |
| 28.6 | ORB% | 37.1 |
| .232 | TF/FGA | .244 |
Betting Trends
| UTAH | Betting Trends | VCU |
|---|---|---|
| OVERALL | OVERALL | |
| 2-1-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 2-1-0 |
| 2-1-0 | ATS W/L/P | 2-1-0 |
| 77.67 | Avg Score | 63.67 |
| 76.33 | Avg Opp Score | 61 |
| AWAY | HOME | |
| 0-3-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 2-1-0 |
| 1-2-0 | ATS W/L/P | 1-2-0 |
| 69.33 | Avg Score | 62 |
| 76.67 | Avg Opp Score | 59.67 |
| UTAH | Betting Trends | VCU |
|---|---|---|
| OVERALL | OVERALL | |
| 3-2-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 4-1-0 |
| 4-1-0 | ATS W/L/P | 4-1-0 |
| 77.6 | Avg Score | 66 |
| 70.4 | Avg Opp Score | 60.4 |
| AWAY | HOME | |
| 1-4-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 3-2-0 |
| 2-3-0 | ATS W/L/P | 2-3-0 |
| 68.6 | Avg Score | 66.6 |
| 77.6 | Avg Opp Score | 63 |
| UTAH | Betting Trends | VCU |
|---|---|---|
| OVERALL | OVERALL | |
| 6-4-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 6-4-0 |
| 7-3-0 | ATS W/L/P | 7-3-0 |
| 78.6 | Avg Score | 70.8 |
| 72.9 | Avg Opp Score | 67 |
| AWAY | HOME | |
| 1-9-0 | Win/Loss/Tie | 8-2-0 |
| 2-8-0 | ATS W/L/P | 6-4-0 |
| 68.3 | Avg Score | 67.7 |
| 80.4 | Avg Opp Score | 61.1 |
