Utah and TCU meet in a Big 12 matchup, and both programs are searching for a way to climb the standings. Utah's struggles in the conference make sense, as this is their first season after realignment this past offseason. The Utes are just 1-3, which puts them 11th in the standings, while TCU has an extra win at 2-2, putting them just above Utah in ninth. It may be Utah's first season in the conference, but that doesn't mean we don't have some recent matchups between the programs to examine. TCU won both games back in 2021 and 2022 by a margin of 14 as 2.5-point favorites and by four as a one-point underdog. It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Utah-TCU prediction and pick.
Utah headed into conference play with an 8-3 record after dropping their last non-conference game to Iowa. The Iowa loss wasn't a reason to panic, but there were some concerns when they dropped their first three conference games by scoring fewer than 65 points in each. After the three games against Baylor, Texas Tech, and Iowa State, Utah sat with a combined point differential of -76. They saved some doubters by winning their next game by 21 over Oklahoma State, but it's difficult to forget their performance in the first three games.
TCU is also 5-5 over their last ten games, but it doesn't look as bad considering both conference losses came as double-digit underdogs. It hasn't been an easy draw for TCU in their conference schedule as they had to start with Houston and Arizona, but they do have some massive wins over Kansas State and BYU. The victory over BYU was impressive, considering they were home underdogs.
Here are the Utah-TCU College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Utah-TCU Odds
Utah: +4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +160
TCU: -4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -190
Over: 143 (-110)
Under: 143 (-110)
How to Watch Utah vs. TCU
Time: 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
TV: ESPN+
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Utah Will Cover The Spread/Win
TCU may have an identical 9-6 record to Utah, but that doesn't mean much for bettors who have backed them in each game. The Horned Frogs haven't been the most profitable program to bet on this season, as they are just 5-10 against the spread. Utah hasn't been the most profitable team, but they are better than TCU at 7-8.
Utah didn't have a good start to their time in the Big 12, but overall, they haven't been looking too bad this season. They are 61st in the nation with 81.1 points per game, and their offense is better than TCU's defense in most metrics. They also have the edge on defense, allowing 70.2 points per game, while TCU ranks 283rd in the country with 70.5 points per game.
Why TCU Will Cover The Spread/Win
In the Utah section, we looked at the big picture, but in this section, we will examine the teams' against-the-spread records over the past ten games. TCU still hasn't been good, with a 4-6 record, but Utah has been abysmal, with a 2-8 record. The question you have to ask yourself when betting on this game is whether you believe Utah can regress to the mean and cover this spread or if the last ten games are a better predictor of these teams' futures.
Final Utah-TCU Prediction & Pick
Utah's first three games in the Big 12 were a wake-up call, and they showed that with their 83-point performance against Oklahoma State. Although their against-the-spread records over their last ten games don't look good, we could see them pull off an upset victory in this matchup, as they are the better program on paper.
Final Utah-TCU Prediction & Pick: Utah +4.5 (-110)