Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Utah looks much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a quick 46-40 lead against UC Irvine.
If Utah keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 20-14 in no time. On the other hand, UC Irvine will have to make due with a 24-10 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who's Playing
UC Irvine Anteaters @ Utah Utes
Current Records: UC Irvine 24-8, Utah 18-13
How To Watch
- When: Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at 11 p.m. ET
- Where: Jon M. Huntsman Center -- Salt Lake City, Utah
- TV: ESPN2
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $59.00
What to Know
The UC Irvine Anteaters and the Utah Utes are set to clash at 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Jon M. Huntsman Center in a Big West postseason contest. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
UC Irvine unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Friday. They took a 83-79 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Beach.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Pierre Crockrell II, who almost dropped a double-double on 18 points and nine assists. Justin Hohn was another key contributor, scoring 19 points.
Even though they lost, UC Irvine smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. This was only their first loss (out of four games) when they hit their own glass that hard.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 90 points the game before, Utah faltered in their game on Thursday. They took a 72-58 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Buffaloes. Utah found out winning isn't easy when your three-point shooting is a whole 23.3% worse than the opposition.
Utah's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Branden Carlson, who scored 13 points along with six rebounds, and Hunter Erickson who scored 13 points along with two steals. Erickson is trending in the right direction, as he's improved his point production for three games straight.
The Anteaters' loss dropped their record down to 24-9. As for the Utes, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 19-14 record this season.
UC Irvine is hoping to beat the odds on Tuesday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. For those looking to play the spread, keep UC Irvine in mind: they have a solid 19-13 record against the spread this season.
Odds
Utah is a big 7.5-point favorite against UC Irvine, 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 7.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 148.5 points.
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