The No. 2 seed Utah Utes (21-14) and VCU Rams (24-13) will battle for a spot in the 2024 NIT semifinals when they meet on Wednesday night. Utah has picked up wins over UC Irvine and No. 3 seed Iowa to advance to the quarterfinals, beating the Hawkeyes in a 91-82 final on Sunday. VCU had its NCAA Tournament hopes dashed in a loss to Duquesne in the Atlantic 10 Tournament title game. The Rams have responded with wins over No. 1 seed Villanova and South Florida in the past week.
Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. The Utes are favored by 7 points in the latest Utah vs. VCU odds, while the over/under is 145.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any VCU vs. Utah picks, you'll want to see the NCAA Basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the Sweet 16 round of the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 152-109 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,800 for $100 players. It also has a strong 32-21 (+890) record on top-rated spread picks this season, and it called 13 Sweet 16 teams this year. Anyone following has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on VCU vs. Utah. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines for the game:
- Utah vs. VCU spread: Utah -7
- Utah vs. VCU over/under: 145.5 points
- Utah vs. VCU money line: Utah -305, VCU +241
- Utah vs. VCU picks: See picks here
Why Utah can cover
Utah has a history of success in the NIT, making the semifinals four times, the championship game three times and winning the tournament in 1947. The Utes came up just short of a spot in the NCAA Tournament, finishing on the wrong side of the bubble. They have bounced back with wins over UC Irvine and No. 3 seed Iowa to get within one victory of a trip to Indianapolis for the semifinals.
Gabe Madsen knocked down seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 31 points in the win over Iowa on Sunday. Senior guard Deivon Smith posted a triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, which was his third triple-double of the season. Utah has covered the spread in four of its last five games, and it is 16-2 at home this season.
Why VCU can cover
VCU won three straight games to make an appearance in the Atlantic 10 Tournament title game, but the Rams were upset by Duquesne in the championship. They did not let that loss linger, responding with an impressive 70-61 win over No. 1 seed Villanova as 8.5-point underdogs last Wednesday. Senior guard Joe Bamisile had a team-high 17 points off the bench, while reserve forward Toibu Lawal chipped in eight points and 10 rebounds.
The Rams added another upset victory on Sunday, taking down South Florida as 3-point road underdogs. Senior guard Zeb Jackson shot 4 of 7 from 3-point range and finished with 14 points, and VCU's defense held South Florida to 4 of 20 shooting from beyond the arc. The Rams have covered the spread in six of their last seven road games and in six of their last seven games against Pac-12 opponents. See which team to pick here.
How to make Utah vs. VCU picks
The model has simulated VCU vs. Utah 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Utah vs. VCU, and which side of the spread hits over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that is 32-21 on top-rated college basketball spread picks this season.
