Utah is the biggest bubble team for the NCAA Tournament in the Pac-12, and if the sixth-seeded Utes are upset in their conference tournament opener on Wednesday night in Las Vegas by a struggling Arizona State team seeded 11th, then Utah can forget about dancing.

Arizona State surprisingly swept Utah this season. The Utes finished the 2023-24 campaign 14-2 at home, with one of those two losses coming to Arizona State (other vs. No. 5 Arizona). Overall, ASU has won five straight and seven of the past eight overall in the series.

Note that this might be the last Pac-12 Tournament ever because every school other than Oregon State and Washington State are leaving for different conferences next season, while the Beavers and Cougars will play in the West Coast Conference for the next two seasons. Both Arizona State and Utah are headed to the Big 12. The winner of the first round contest will take on No. 3 seed Colorado on Thursday.

Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Utah Utes Game Information

Scene is set
Runnin’ Utes vs. Sun Devils
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
9:30pm (MDT)@Pac12Network pic.twitter.com/CkaKgQbrOp

— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) March 13, 2024

• When: Wednesday, March 13th, 2024 at 11:30 pm ET
• Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
• TV: PAC12
• Radio: KMVP 98.7 FM (Arizona State) // ESPN 700 AM (Utah)
• Live Stream: PAC-12 Live
• NCAAB Betting Odds: Arizona State (+6) // Utah (-6)

Why Bet on the Arizona State Sun Devils?

Arizona State (14-17) is the No. 11 seed in the 2024 Pac-12 Tournament amid reports that coach Bobby Hurley could be fired after this season, as ASU has largely underachieved under the former All-American Duke point guard. In addition, Sun Devils guard Jose Perez left the team last week after scoring 25 points in a loss on March 7 at USC.

“There’s a thin line between loyalty and stupidity,” Perez posted on Instagram. “I’m going to be loyal, but I’m not going to be stupid. I’m not going to be so loyal that I betray myself.”

Perez, who decided to go play professionally overseas, averaged 13.5 points in his lone season in Tempe, only slightly behind senior guard Frankie Collins, who is averaging 13.6 points. ASU relied on Perez for his mid-range scoring capability and ability to get to the free-throw line. He had converted 53 more free throws than anyone else on the team has even attempted.

Collins is the team’s best player and was named to the Pac-12’s all defensive team. His 83 steals broke Lafayette Lever’s 42-year-old previous school record of 76 set in 1982. Collins is now eight away from cracking the Top-10 in the Pac-12 Conference’s single-season record book. His 83 steals are 18 more than any other player in the Pac-12, and he has four games with 6+ steals.

Arizona State forces the most turnovers/game (13.6) while committing the fewest (10.5) of any team in the Pac-12. Collins is also one of only two players in the nation (Shahada Wells, McNeese State) averaging at least 13.6 points (1st on team), 4.5 rebounds (2nd on team), 3.3 assists (1st on team), and 2.7 steals (1st on team).

ASU is 4-3 in its first Pac-12 Tournament game under Hurley after going 2-11 since the return of the tournament in 2002. Hurley is looking to accomplish something never done at Arizona State before. Should the Sun Devils win their first round matchup, it would be the first time they have ever secured victories in consecutive years at the Pac-12 Tournament. The 2023 team reached the semifinals as a No. 6 seed and joined the 2009 & 1990 teams as the only three that won multiple games in one Pac-12 Tournament.

Why Bet on the Utah Utes?

Some very important injury news for No. 6 seed Utah, as star center Branden Carlson is in question with an undisclosed issue. He was named first-team All-Pac-12 to become the only player in Utah history to earn three All-Pac-12 honors and join Delon Wright (2014, 15) as the only other Runnin’ Ute to earn back-to-back first-team selections.

Carlson finished Pac-12 play averaging 17.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 blocks to lead the Utes in three of the four categories. Meanwhile, his 35 assists in league play were good for third on the team to go with his .489 shooting clip – which was second on the team as well among players with at least 100 field-goal attempts. The South Jordan native finished league action tied for second in blocks (35), sixth in scoring (17.9), sixth in rebounding (7.3) and tied for ninth in 3-point field-goals made (42).

In addition, starting point guard Rollie Worster hasn’t played since Jan. 11 with a lower-leg injury and is questionable for Wednesday. Worster was averaging 9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.4 steals prior to the injury.

Since joining the Pac-12, Utah has won five of its 12 opening-round games at the Pac-12 Tournament, with two of those instances (2015, 2016) occurring in the quarterfinal round after earning a bye on the first day of action. The No. 6 seed has gone a combined 18-9 at the tournament in the Pac-12 Era. The last time a No. 6 seed advanced to the finals or won the conference tournament title was back in 2019 when No. 6 Oregon defeated top-seeded Washington 68-48.

Arizona State vs. Utah Betting Trends

• Arizona State is 6-3 ATS in the last 9 games.
• Sun Devils are 1-5 SU in its last 6 games.
• The total went over in 6 of Arizona State’s last 9 games.
• Utah is 4-2 ATS in the last 6 games.
• Utes are 4-8 SU in its last 12 games.
• The total went over in 6 of Utah’s last 9 games.

Arizona State vs. Utah Expert Prediction

Utah takes the win on Wednesday night.

Where to Bet on the 2023-24 NCAAB season with Crypto

Nitrobetting offers a solid channel for those who want to bet on the College Basketball season with crypto. The power of crypto and its lightning-fast transactions make the entire NCAAB Season betting more enjoyable.

This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at Nitrobetting news. Stay tuned for more 2023-24 NCAAB season previews and articles, and don’t forget to check out the latest college basketball betting odds on our online Bitcoin sportsbook.

READ MORE: New Hampshire vs. Vermont NCAAB Odds and Preview – March 12th, 2024