Big 12 Tournament: Utah vs Cincinnati Preview, Odds, Predictions (March 10)

• The Utes finished at the bottom of the Big 12 standings.
• The Bearcats secured the ninth seed in the conference tournament.
• This marks the fourth all-time matchup between the two Big 12 squads.

The Big 12 sees their time in the conference tournament start in the March 10 slate, seeing the Utah Utes take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in the first round. The latter stands out as the solid favorite, paving the way for an intriguing duel to begin the Big 12 Tournament.

How to Watch

• When: Tuesday, March 10, 3 pm ET
• Where: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri
• How to Watch: ESPN+

NCAA Matchup Odds & Lines

Game Preview

Conference play was brutal for the Utes (10-21, 2-16 Big 12), finishing at the bottom of the conference standings. Terrence Brown mans the squad with 19.8 points and 3.8 assists per game as the Utes’ leading scorer. On another note, Don McHenry comes next with 17.3 points per game while Keanu Dawes stands out as a double-double threat with 12.4 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds per contest.

The Bearcats (17-14, 9-9 Big 12) finished the campaign in the middle of the pack within the Big 12 standings. They rank second in the Big 12 in 3-point attempts per game (26.5), third in 3-pointers made per game (8.9), fourth in the conference in scoring defense (67.7) and assists per game (16.7) and fifth in 3-point percentage defense (31.7), field goal percentage defense (41.6). Baba Miller is tied for 25th nationally and second in the Big 12 in double-doubles with 12, while sitting first in the conference and fourth nationally with 7.83 defensive rebounds per contest and 14th in the country and second in the conference with 10.1 total rebounds per game. He ranks eighth in the nation in defensive rebounding percentage at 28.0%. His efforts allowed him to get named to the All-Big 12 Second Team.

Utah vs Cincinnati Head-to-Head

The two programs have had three meetings in their history, and the result is 2-1 for the Bearcats. The last matchup was in February this year when Cincinnati won 69-65 at home.

Utah vs Cincinnati Predictions

Should either team advance to the second round of the Big 12 Tournament, they’ll take on the eight-seeded UCF Knights on Wednesday, March 11. This game will already be difficult for Utah as the worst performing team in the Big 12. They have struggled to win down the stretch, losing their last five games of league play. If the Utes can’t contain the likes of Baba Miller while being the team to set the tone first in the game, expect Cincinnati to advance to the next round. Our betting pick here is the Bearcats to defend a 12.5-point spread.

• Free NCAAB pick: Cincinnati Bearcats -12.5