NCAAB Lines put Utah as Strong Favorite to Ease Past Stanford

After recording two successive blowout road victories since the start of this month, the No. 11 Utah Utes return to their home stadium, hoping to keep up with their winning ways when they host the Stanford Cardinal. With the Cardinal tied for Pac-12’s third position (with Oregon and Oregon State) and the Utes tied for the first place (with Arizona), which of the two teams will further its postseason ambitions by getting the vital victory this Thursday? Check out our game preview below for a guide on how to put your money on the NCAAB lines of this matchup. Venue: Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, Utah Date: Thursday, February 12, 2015 Time: 9:00 PM ET TV: Pac-12 Network Spread: Utah -11 NCAAB Odds and Game Preview The senior-laden Stanford squad snapped its two-game losing skid with a hard-earned 70-62 win over USC on Sunday. Besides the important fact that the win crucially improved the Cardinal’s record to 16-7 (7-4 in Pac-12), the game showcased the well-gelled nature of Stanford squad as all of the five starters in the Cardinal team posted double-digit scores.

Unfortunately, in spite of playing at home, Stanford was unable to cover the 15-point spread against a Trojan team that entered the game with just one Pac-12 win and a poor 9-13 (1-9 Pac-12) record. The Stanford Cardinal have now failed to cover in three straight games, which is a cause of worry, especially if you consider the fact that two of those three games ended up in losses. Stanford’s leading scorer Chasson Randle, together with seniors Stefan Nastic (13 PPG and 7 RPG) and Anthony Brown (16 PPG and 7 RPG), will thus have to find a way of putting up big numbers if their team is to have a chance of winning the game (and of course covering the spread). Compared to the Cardinal, Utah (18-4, 8-2 Pac 12) boasts of more athletic players, particularly the seven-footer Jakob Poeltl, who is very good at making plays on and off the glass. To have the best chance of harassing the Cardinal, Poeltl (team-leading 7.7 RPG) will need to be more involved in the game, especially in outrebounding the Stanford.

After tearing apart USC in a 28-point rout on February 1st, the Utes followed it with another 28-point blowout win over Colorado on Saturday, with both wins coming on the road. With such a strong momentum built on the road, and a perfect 5-0 record at home in conference play (winning all home games by more than 20 points), the Utes should be able to give another imposing offensive performance this Thursday. On the other side of the court, Utah is just as good, ranking sixth-best in the league in adjusted defensive efficiency and ninth-best in points allowed per game (giving up just 56 per contest). With the Cardinal shooting just 26 percent from downtown and 37 percent from the field in their home win over USC, Utah’s offense may not need to be too strong because the defense could do most of the heavy-lifting. Key Betting Trends

• Stanford is 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS in its last five games
• Utah is 4-1 SU/ATS in its last five games
• Stanford is 5-5 SU/ATS in all of its road games this season
• Utah is 13-0 SU and 9-3 ATS in all of its home games this season
• The total has gone OVER in three of the last five Stanford games
• The total has gone OVER in three of the last five Utah games
• The total has gone OVER in three of the last five games between Utah and Stanford

Betting Prediction Expect a solid win plus cover by the Utes at home, with Delon Wright, Brandon Taylor and Poeltl all racking up double-digit scores. Though Utah’s strong defense will control the pace of the game and keep the scores relatively moderate, the total should be able to go high enough for a close OVER.