Brendan O’Sullivan takes you through his preview, prediction and pick for today’s college basketball game between Utah Valley and California Baptist.
The WAC championship between No. 1 Utah Valley and No. 2 California Baptist kicks off on Saturday, March 14 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
These teams played three times with the Wolverines winning two matchups, both of which were at home.
The Wolverines are 3.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at 139.5 points.
Here’s my prediction, preview and pick for Saturday’s Utah Valley vs. California Baptist matchup.
Utah Valley vs. California Baptist prediction, preview
Just one game separates these teams in the standings. Utah Valley is 25-7 overall and 14-4 in conference, while California Baptist is 24-8 and 13-5. It’s about as even of a matchup as one could hope for a conference title game.
After a 0-3 start to the conference schedule, California Baptist went 13-2 with the only losses being against Utah Valley and Utah Tech on the road. It was enough to earn the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. The Lancers defeated Utah Tech 86-72 in their opening game of the tourney and now face Utah Valley.
The Wolverines didn’t have that weak start, but they still had some hiccups along the way. They had four conference losses total, one of which was against California Baptist in overtime.
Both squads are undefeated at home, which doesn’t factor into tonight’s action as it’s a neutral site game. These teams are much worse on the road, with the Wolverines at 6-7 and Lancers at 7-8. While both teams are on at least five-game win streaks, these neutral site games could be trouble.
Utah Valley vs. California Baptist pick, best bet
Both teams are hot, both teams aren’t good away from home, and both teams have one chance to make the NCAA Tournament this year. It’s cliche, but this is such an close matchup.
When this is the case, I typically side with the underdog spread. There’s more coverage there as a loss by a few points is still good.