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It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Colorado-Utah prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Colorado-Utah.
Big 12 Conference hoops is on the schedule this Wednesday in college basketball with Utah and Colorado carrying their Pac-12 rivalry into their new league.
The Colorado Buffaloes have cratered. They made the NCAA Tournament last year. They beat Florida to advance to the second round. Coach Tad Boyle has guided Colorado to several NCAA Tournaments and has had a generally solid tenure in Boulder. This season has flown off the rails in a spectacular and very unexpected implosion for the Buffs. How bad has it gotten for CU? Try this: The Buffaloes are 0-10 in the Big 12. That's crazy. It's not as though the Big 12 is this chamber of death. In an expanded Big 12 — very different from the 10-team conference which existed a few years ago — there are several Big 12 teams which are very beatable and are noticeably mediocre. Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, and several other not-very-good teams reside in the lower half of the Big 12. For Colorado to not pick off at least one or two of these teams is shocking, less in an isolated sense and more in a collective sense. Colorado has played over a full month of conference action and has not found at least one good performance in all of that.
Early in the Big 12 season, Colorado pushed Iowa State hard at home. The Buffaloes showed they could be competitive. It's not as though they have failed to put forth an effort. They are trying. It's just that they absolutely cannot finish off a ballgame. They consistently fall short in the final five minutes, always failing to make the big shot or get the defining defensive stop they need. It's hard to win in sports, but it's also hard to lose 10 straight games, always coming up empty. You would think at some point this team will make a big shot if only by accident or the laws of averages, but it's not happening. Colorado will try to finally break through against its old Pac-12 neighbor in Salt Lake City.
Here are the Colorado-Utah College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Colorado-Utah Odds
Colorado: +6.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +215
Utah: -6.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -265
Over: 144.5 (-110)
Under: 144.5 (-110)
How to Watch Colorado vs Utah
Article Continues Below
Time: 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN Plus
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Why Colorado Will Cover The Spread/Win
Even though Colorado is having a brutal year, it should be able to keep this game close against Utah and cover the spread. Utah is not having as bad a year as Colorado, but the Utes are still not having a generally good season. They are 4-6 in the Big 12 and are going nowhere. Coach Craig Smith has failed to deliver Utah to the NCAA Tournament, and it's clear the natives are restless in Salt Lake City. Utah was an elite program nearly 30 years ago under then-coach Rick Majerus. This should be an NCAA tourney-level program, but it isn't. Colorado might not beat Utah outright, but CU can lose this game by six points and yet still cover the spread. Given how underachieving Utah has been this season, that actually seems like a fairly probable outcome. It's hard to craft an argument in which Utah gets the ultimate benefit of the doubt.
Why Utah Will Cover The Spread/Win
Colorado is trying to win — it's not as though Tad Boyle's team has mailed it in and is just going through the motions — but the Buffaloes keep hitting empty at some point in a game. They started Sunday's game at TCU with passion and were up by six points, but it just didn't last. Colorado's offense stalled out. The Buffaloes managed just 57 points and lost by 11. This team, back in late November, defeated defending national champion UConn. That team hasn't shown up over the past six weeks of basketball. It's really shocking to see. Colorado has not scored more than 68 points in any of its last four games. Given how regularly bad the Colorado offense has become, it's logical to think Utah can score in the mid-70s. If Utah hits 75 points, CU would need to score over 68 to cover. Since CU has struggled to hit over 68 of late, that's the argument to make for Utah covering.
Final Colorado-Utah Prediction & Pick
The lean is to Colorado, but CU is 0-10 in the Big 12, and we're not going to trust a bad team with a bet. Pass.
Final Colorado-Utah Prediction & Pick: Colorado +6.5
