Utah Tech Trailblazers vs Southern Utah Thunderbirds Betting Pick & Prediction 1/18/24

Looking to win big? The Trailblazers and Thunderbirds face off at 8:30 ET on ESPN+. The Thunderbirds are hosting the game at America First Events Center in Cedar City, UT. The odds for this Western Athletic conference game currently have the Thunderbirds as the betting favorite with the over/under line sitting at 154.5 points.

UTAH TECH TRAILBLAZERS VS SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Southern Utah Thunderbirds -4

This game will be played at America First Events Center at 8:30 ET on Thursday, January 18th.

WHY BET THE SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 85-61 in favor of the Thunderbirds.
• Not only will Southern Utah pick up the win, but look for them to cover at -4.
• The over/under is currently sitting at 154.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 146 points.

Do the Trailblazers Have a Shot at a Road Win?

Utah Tech enters this game as a four-point underdog, and they have gone 3-7 on the road this season. Through 16 games, the Trailblazers have gone 7-9, including a 3-2 record in Western Athletic Conference play. In their last game, they defeated Stephen F. Austin by a score of 75-70.

So far, Utah Tech has gone 3-7 as the underdog, and they are currently on a three-game losing streak on the road. For the season, they have been outscored by an average of 10.2 points per game on the road.

As the underdog, Utah Tech has gone 5-5 vs. the spread this season and their ATS record for the year is 8-7. On the road, the Trailblazers are just 4-5 ATS and they have lost their last three road games vs. the spread.

Utah Tech’s over/under record for the season sits at 6-9 and the average scoring total in their games is 145.3 points. Today’s over/under line of 154.5 is higher than the average OU line in their games (144.5) and 11 of their games have finished with fewer points than today’s OU line. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 135 points and their OU record in that span is 0-3.

Coming off their recent game, the Utah Tech offense tallied 75 points in a matchup against Stephen F. Austin. Their field goal percentage for the game was 53.3%, and they made 8 threes. Noa Gonsalves is currently the leading scorer for the team, entering today’s matchup with an average of 11.8. Meanwhile, Tanner Christensen also brings a PPG average of 11.4 into the game.

So far, the Trailblazers’ defense is ranked 233rd in the country at 75.5 points per contest. Utah Tech’s three-point defense is currently 135th in the country at 7.3 made threes per game. In terms of overall field goal percentage, opponets have hit 43.3% of their shots vs. Utah Tech.

Can the Thunderbirds Hold Strong at Home?

Despite their recent struggles, Southern Utah has been a solid team at home this season, going 2-3. Over their last ten games at home, they have a record of 6-4.

So far this season, the Thunderbirds have been the underdog in 11 of their 16 games, going 1-10 in those matchups. However, they are 2-1 when favored.

As the favorite, Southern Utah has gone 2-1 vs. the spread this season and 4-6 in their last 10 games as the favorite. Their home ATS mark is 3-2 this year and 4-4 in their last 10 home games.

On the season, the over/under record for Southern Utah games is 10-4. So far, the average scoring total in their games is 153.1 points compared to an average over/under line of 145.8, resulting in an average margin of 7.3 points. Today’s over/under line of 154.5 is higher than the average scoring total in their games, but over their last three contests, the average scoring total is 159 points. Over their last 10 games, their over/under record is 6-3.

Coming off their recent game, the Southern Utah offense tallied 82 points in a matchup against Stephen F. Austin. Their field goal percentage for the game was 50%, and they made 7 threes. One area that the Southern Utah offense has been good this season is getting to the line. Currently, they are 76th in free-throw attempts per contest. Overall, they have a field goal percentage of 43%.

Facing Utah Tech, Southern Utah aims for a better defensive performance, given their current average of 79.1 points allowed per game (282nd). In today’s game vs. Utah Tech, the Southern Utah defense will be looking to do a better job avoiding putting opponents on the line. In their last game, Southern Utah made 27 free-throws vs. the Thunderbirds.