Arizona State vs Utah Prediction and Preview

Read more for a full Arizona State vs Utah prediction and preview.

Arizona State renews a former Pac-12 rivalry when it travels to Salt Lake City to take on Utah. It will be the 64th all-time meeting, with the Utes leading the series 35-28. Last year, the Sun Devils took both regular season matchups before falling in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament 90-57.

General Information:

Teams: Arizona State (13-15, 4-13) and Utah (15-13, 7-10)

Tip Time: 7 p.m. EST

Watch: ESPN+

Listen: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM

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Like the Maroon and Gold, the team in red has faced turmoil during a sub-.500 season in Big 12 play. The program fired its 16th head coach, Craig Smith, shortly before visiting No. 22 Arizona last Wednesday. His sons, Brady and Landon, are on the team. Brady is a sophomore guard, while Landon is the Director of Administration and Operations.

“It’s a hard business, I get all those things,” Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd told reporters after the game. “But we all have families, we all have kids. For his kids to show up today…with their teammates, is something.”

The Utes lost 83-66 on the road to the Wildcats after falling behind 46-32 at halftime. They moved to 1-8 in true road tests this season.

However, Utah has looked vastly different when playing at home, going 14-3 at the Jon M. Huntsman Center this season. Its most notable victories came a couple weeks ago, beating then-No. 17 Kansas and Kansas State.

Fifth-year guard Gabe Madsen leads the way as the only player to start every game this season. He also leads the team in points, averaging 15.6 per game. The Rochester, MN native has also picked up attention recently, with Arizona State redshirt senior guard Adam Miller saying earlier this week that he wants to take on Madsen after getting battered in Wednesday night’s contest against BYU.

Junior forward Ezra Ausar averages 12.0 points per game with 27 starts. Much like Ausar, sophomore forwards Keanu Dawes and Jake Wahlin, and senior center Jake Lovering like to grab rebounds, all averaging more than five boards per game. Overall, the Utes are the second-highest rebounding team in the Big 12, winning the board battle by 4.4 per contest.

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The Sun Devils also played last Wednesday, losing 91-81 to No. 25 BYU at Desert Financial Arena. While they shot well, they could not keep up with the Cougars’ high-flying offense that has now scored at least 90 points in the past three games. The visitors’ guards led the way, with junior Richie Saunders having 26 points, while graduate Trevin Knell scored 18.

Arizona State has now lost eight consecutive home games, with its last win coming on Jan. 4 against Colorado, who holds the last place spot in the conference. The streak has led to disappointment, frustration and confusion for head coach Bobby Hurley and the players.

“Is the universe talking and saying something? Are things just not meant to be,” Hurley told reporters after the game. “I’m scared to wake up. I hope I wake up tomorrow…I’m scared to see what tomorrow brings.”

The Maroon and Gold continued to be decimated by injuries on Wednesday night. They played without three starters. Senior guard/forward BJ Freeman was dismissed from the team before taking on Kansas State, and freshman forward Jayden Quaintance was sidelined with an ankle injury he suffered in the waning moments against the Wildcats. Additionally, senior guard Alston Mason took his first absence of the season due to illness.

Redshirt senior guard Adam Miller added himself to the injury list after taking a few hits on Wednesday night. He first hobbled toward his bench after taking a hit within the first four minutes. The LSU transfer suffered another collision a few moments later, dropping to the floor with “muscle spasms.” Miller surprisingly started the second half, before Hurley pulled him out with 13:09 remaining.

Hurley said postgame that Quaintance will be unable to return against the Utes. Meanwhile, Mason may be fit, as he traveled with the team to Salt Lake City, according to the team’s Instagram story. Miller will be ready to go on Saturday evening as well, confirming without hesitation when asked on Wednesday night.

With senior forward Basheer Jihad being the only regular starter in the game, Arizona State turned towards its freshmen for production. One of those was guard Trevor Best, who joined the team in late December. Best, who had only played nine minutes ahead of Wednesday’s clash, came in for Miller, scoring 18 points in 24 minutes. The 17-year-old was given the Big 12 bench performance of the week for his efforts.

Arizona State vs Utah prediction: Utes by 8 (85-77)

Utah should dominate off the glass with Arizona State without Quaintance. This will lead to offensive rebounds and second chance points, that have left the Sun Devils vulnerable throughout the season. However, Saturday’s visitors should have a better time controlling the ball and drawing up plays with Mason expected to be back in the lineup.