Even though the NCAA Tournament does not have any games scheduled on Wednesday night, college basketball is still going to be a major focus. The VCU Rams are set to take on the Utah Utes in a big game in the quarterfinal round of the NIT.
VCU was on the bubble for making the NCAA Tournament this season, but they just didn’t have enough wins. The Rams are now sitting at 24-13 on the year, and they appear to be on a mission so far in the NIT.
Utah had a tough finish on the Pac-12 Conference schedule, but it was still a very solid season for this team overall. The Utes are coming into this game with an overall record of 21-14, and they have been playing well in this tournament.
Utah is coming into this game as a big 6.5-point betting favorite in the quarterfinal round of the NIT against a tough VCU team.
Rams Can Really Defend
VCU is a team that is comfortable playing at a very slow pace throughout the season, and they set the tone on defense. The Rams are no longer looking to put a ton of pressure on opponents, but they make life difficult for opposing teams.
Guard Max Shulga is leading the way with 14.3 points per game this season, but VCU attacks teams with a balanced approach. VCU doesn’t shoot a ton of three-point shots as most of their damage is done by attacking the paint.
The Rams are going to have to make some shots to win this game, but they can still win games with defense when they aren’t shooting the ball well.
Carlson Carrying the Utes
The Utah Utes have a number of great players on this roster, but they are led by a terrific center in the paint. Branden Carlson is coming into this game with 17.0 points per game, and he continues to set the tone in the paint in most games.
The Utes are scoring 78.1 points per game so far this season, but they struggle in a big way when they are not making their shots from deep. Utah should have some success on the perimeter in this matchup, but they will set the tone in the paint.
The Utes have always been a team that is capable of getting stops on defense, and that will be how they look to set the tone in this game.
Rams Battle; Utes Win
This VCU team has been playing some great defense all season long, and they have even stepped up their play in the NIT. VCU will be using the same formula in this matchup, and that defense should be able to frustrate the Utah Utes in this game.
Utah has a big size advantage in the paint in this game, and that could end up allowing them to take control in this matchup. The Utes just don’t shoot the ball well enough from the perimeter to blow this game out, but they get enough interior scoring to win.
Take the 6.5 points and back on the VCU Rams in this matchup, but it will be the Utah Utes that win the game and head to the NIT Semifinals.
