Halftime Report
A win for Abilene Chr. would push their record over .500, and after one quarter of play they've put themselves in a good position to make it happen. After one quarter, neither squad has the contest in the bag, but Abilene Chr. leads 38-35 over Utah Valley. This match is far closer than the pair's previous matchup, which was decided by 29 points.
Abilene Chr. entered the game having won seven straight and they're just one half away from another. Will they make it eight, or will Utah Valley step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.
Who's Playing
Utah Valley Wolverines @ Abilene Chr. Wildcats
Current Records: Utah Valley 15-15, Abilene Chr. 15-15
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, March 9, 2024 at 4 p.m. ET
- Where: Moody Coliseum -- Abilene, Texas
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $15.00
What to Know
The Utah Valley Wolverines and the Abilene Chr. Wildcats will face off in a WAC clash at 4:00 p.m. ET on March 9th at Moody Coliseum. The pair worked hard to overcome the odds in their previous battles and are surely both feeling confident heading into this clash.
Utah Valley posted their closest victory since November 19, 2023 on Thursday. They had just enough and edged the Texans out 63-60.
Utah Valley can attribute much of their success to Drake Allen, who scored 20 points along with eight rebounds, and Ethan Potter, who dropped a double-double on 22 points and 15 rebounds. It was the first time this season that Potter pulled down ten or more rebounds.
Meanwhile, Abilene Chr. entered their tilt with Seattle with six consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with seven. The Wildcats came out on top against the Redhawks by a score of 64-59 on Thursday. The score was all tied up 31-31 at the break, but Abilene Chr. was the better team in the second half.
Abilene Chr. got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Leonardo Bettiol out in front who dropped a double-double on ten points and 15 rebounds. It was the first time this season that Bettiol pulled down ten or more rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Ali Abdou Dibba, who scored 13 points along with four steals.
The Wolverines are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games, which provided a nice bump to their 15-15 record this season. As for the Wildcats, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-15.
Not only did both teams in this Saturday's matchup win their last matches, they also took care of their bettors and covered the spread. Looking forward, Abilene Chr. is expected to win a tight contest, barring any buzzer beaters. They might be worth a quick bet since they've covered the spread the last seven times they've played.
Everything came up roses for Utah Valley against Abilene Chr. in their previous meeting back in February as the squad secured a 74-45 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Utah Valley since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Odds
Abilene Chr. is a slight 2.5-point favorite against Utah Valley, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 2.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 138 points.
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Series History
Utah Valley has won 3 out of their last 5 games against Abilene Chr..
- Feb 10, 2024 - Utah Valley 74 vs. Abilene Chr. 45
- Feb 25, 2023 - Utah Valley 66 vs. Abilene Chr. 62
- Jan 18, 2023 - Utah Valley 84 vs. Abilene Chr. 54
- Mar 09, 2022 - Abilene Chr. 82 vs. Utah Valley 74
- Dec 30, 2021 - Abilene Chr. 80 vs. Utah Valley 76