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The Washington State Cougars (9-10) will head to Salt Lake City on Thursday to take on the Utah Utes (12-7). WSU has won three straight games, beating Arizona, California, and Stanford. The most surprising win was a blowout victory over Arizona in Tucson, 74-61. Meanwhile, Utah is going in the opposite direction, losing three games in a row by 44 points. They were swept by the California schools before heading home for their game against WSU on Thursday.
Washington State vs. Utah
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Washington State Cougars vs. Utah Utes Match Details
Fixture: Washington State Cougars at Utah Utes
Date and Time: Thursday, January 19 at 9:00 PM ET
Venue: John M. Huntsman Center
ShotQuality Tale of the Tape
Below, we will highlight essential ShotQuality data for this matchup, including Adjusted Offensive and Defensive SQ, strengths, weaknesses, and frequency. SQppp is a player's average ShotQuality points per possession.
Thus, SQppp = Total SQpoints/Total No. of Possessions.
The Washington Cougars own a 1.12 AdjOFF SQ this season, which is good for the 41st-best mark in the nation. Utah has the 123rd-best AdjDEF SQ at 0.99. WSU does well in all key stats, except the open three rate and the free throw rate (FTR) metrics. They are outside the top 265 in those categories. Conversely, the Utes are in the top 95 in defending those two metrics.
The Cougars own high-frequency numbers in catch & shoot three-pointers, half-court, isolation, and post-up shot types. They are in the top 130 in all those shot types except post-up, with a 0.83 SQ PPP (326th in the country). Conversely, the Utes are in the top 95 in defending all those categories except in isolation, with a 0.91 SQ PPP (173rd in the country).
The Utes have a 1.07 AdjOFF SQ, the 86th-best mark in the country. WSU has posted a 0.97 AdjDEF SQ this season, clocking in at 83rd in the country. The Utes are in the top 80 in shot selection and rim & three SQ PPP. The Cougars are 100th in shot selection (25th percentile) and 120th in rim & three SQ PPP (1.07 SQ PPP).
Utah is in the country's top half in frequency regarding the following shot types: catch & shoot three-pointers, cut, finishing at the rim, half-court, midrange, off-screen, P&R ball screen, and post-up. On the other hand, WSU is in the top 160 in defending all those shot types except with screen and with catch & shoot three-pointers, where they own an SQ PPP outside the top 290.
Washington State vs. Utah Prediction
Playing the trend here is the move regardless of home-court advantage. Utah has shown nothing over the last three games to indicate they are ready to win a game, while the Cougars have been tough as nails since the start of conference play. WSU is getting the points here, making it the smart play to ride with them as a short underdog.
Prediction: Washington State +3.5 (-110)
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