Utah Valley (4-5) vs North Dakota (4-5)
Game Info: Wednesday, December 11, 2024 at 8:00 pm (UCCU Center)
The Line: Betting Odds: Utah Valley -8.5 / North Dakota +8.5 — Over/Under: 145
The North Dakota Fighting Hawks are visiting the Utah Valley Wolverines on Wednesday, December 11th at the UCCU Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a North Dakota Fighting Hawks vs Utah Valley Wolverines Prediction.
Utah Valley Wolverines Preview
The Utah Valley Wolverines have a 4-5 record this season and are coming off a 61-78 loss to James Madison. The Wolverines are 2-6 against the spread, and 6-2 in over/under while having a 2-0 home record. Utah Valley has four consecutive losses.
Offensively, Utah Valley is averaging 74.3 points per game, which ranks 206th in the nation. Defensively, they are allowing 73.9 points per game (251st). The Wolverines shoot 46% from the field (147th) and 30.6% from beyond the arc (292nd). The Wolverines shoot 68% from the free throw line (272nd) and are grabbing 38.3 rebounds per game (102nd).
Dominick Nelson leads Utah Valley in scoring this season, with an average of 13.3 points and 6 rebounds, while Carter Welling adds 12.3 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds
North Dakota Fighting Hawks Preview
The North Dakota Fighting Hawks have a 4-5 record this season and are coming off an 80-75 win over Weber State. The Hawks are 5-3 against the spread, and 5-3 in over/under while having a 1-3 road record. North Dakota is 1-3 in their last 4 games and 4-1 to the over.
Offensively, North Dakota is averaging 71.2 points per game, which ranks 277th in the nation. Defensively, they allow 74.7 points per game (266th). The Hawks shoot 40.9% from the field (325th) and 27.9% from beyond the arc (342nd). The Hawks shoot 71.6% from the free-throw line (172nd) and are grabbing 38.8 rebounds per game (81st).
Treysen Eaglestaff leads North Dakota in scoring this season, with an average of 18.3 points, while Mier Panoam adds 13.6 points and 5.4 rebounds.
Why the Utah Valley Wolverines will win
- North Dakota has lost each of its last 18 Wednesday games.
- Utah Valley has won 11 of its last 12 night games at UCCU Center following a road loss.
- Utah Valley has won the first half in 18 of its last 21 night games at UCCU Center.
Why the North Dakota Fighting Hawks will win
- Utah Valley has lost each of its last four games.
- North Dakota has won three of its last four games against the Western Athletic Conference.
- North Dakota has won the first half in 11 of its last 13 night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
North Dakota Fighting Hawks vs Utah Valley Wolverines Prediction
Utah Valley leads North Dakota 5-4 wins in their last 9 meetings, but North Dakota is 4-0 against the spread in their last 4 meetings. In their previous meeting earlier this season, North Dakota won 77-71 at home. In this North Dakota Fighting Hawks vs Utah Valley Wolverines Prediction, Utah Valley is coming as -8.5 home favorites. Utah Valley is better offensively, scoring 2.1 points more than North Dakota, while North Dakota is slightly better defensively, allowing 0.8 points less. Both teams are below average offensively, with the Hawks ranking in the bottom 90 of the nation. The Hawks are also struggling mightily with their shooting, as they are in the bottom 40 of the nation in field goal percentage and in the bottom 20 in 3-point percentage. I expect the Wolverines to get the job done at home, where they have been undefeated this season. Take the Utah Valley Wolverines to win and cover in this one.