The Big Sky’s top team will be at home when the Weber State Wildcats (14-6) welcome the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (5-14) to Dee Events Center. The game begins at 9:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 30.
The Wildcats come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, defeating Northern Arizona 76-66 on Thursday. Joel Bolomboy played a pivotal role, recording his 18th double-double this season with 17 points and 15 rebounds. The Thunderbirds, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their awful 87-68 loss against Idaho State on Thursday. James McGee had a team-high 17 points.
The Wildcats could have their way today, as their high-octane offense faces off against one of the nation’s worst defenses. They currently rank 31st in offensive efficiency while Southern Utah ranks 348th in defensive efficiency. Put-back points also figure to be rare for the Thunderbirds. They rank 340th in the nation in offensive rebounding (OR% of 22.7%), while the Wildcats are 10th-best in the nation on the defensive glass (DR% of 76.5%).
This one isn’t expected to be close when Weber State, a big 20-point favorite, takes on Southern Utah. According to the oddsmakers, the Over/Under (O/U) is currently 150 points. The Wildcats enter the game with records of 14-6 Straight Up (SU) and 9-6-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Wildcats are one of the best in Division I in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting a superb .491 from the field. Teams usually don’t get many offensive rebounds against the Wildcats, who are one of the top defensive rebounding teams in the country with an average of 29.4 per game.
Over on the other bench, the Thunderbirds head into the game with records of 3-13 ATS and 5-14 SU. Most recently, Southern Utah is a meager 2-8 ATS over the last 10 games.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time these conference rivals played, Southern Utah won, but Weber State still leads the head-to-head record, 8-2 SU, over their most recent matchups. The teams have an even record ATS, 4-4. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Weber State held the edge in all three of these categories twice in the last five meetings. Southern Utah never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Web, ATS Winner – Web, O/U – Over
Notes
Weber State is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Weber State’s last 7 games.
Weber State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Weber State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Southern Utah.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Weber State’s last 5 games when playing Southern Utah.
Weber State sits at 6-1 SU against the conference, while Southern Utah is struggling at 2-6 SU.
Ranked 31st, the Weber State Wildcats have an offensive rating of 114.3. The Southern Utah Thunderbirds rank 348th with a defensive rating of just 115.7.
The Southern Utah Thunderbirds average 71.1 possessions per game and 1.022 points per possession. The Weber State Wildcats earn fewer possessions with 69.8, but they score more points with 1.143.
Weber State is ranked 10th in the nation with an average effective field goal percentage of 56.7%. Southern Utah has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage (0-8).
Weber State ranks 96th in assists, registering 14.8 per game. Southern Utah performs worse at 229th with 12.7 assists per game.
Southern Utah ranks 340th in offensive rebounds, while Weber State ranks at 10th in defensive rebounds.
Weber State has forced an average turnover percentage of 16.4% this season. Southern Utah has an underachieving 3-11 record when its TO% is 16.4% or higher.
