Colorado vs Utah Valley Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 19 NIT Game (Buffaloes Fail to Defend Home Court)

The 2023 NIT continues on Sunday with a thrilling second-round matchup between the Colorado Buffaloes and Utah Valley Wolverines. Colorado snuck by Seton Hall 65-64 in a first-round win on Tuesday, while Utah Valley defeated New Mexico 83-69 to earn a road victory on Wednesday night.

Colorado vs Utah Valley Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Basketball Regular Season Game
• Colorado (18-16) vs. Utah Valley (26-8)
• Date: Sunday, March 19, 2023
• Time: 9:30 PM ET
• Venue: CU Events Center -- Boulder, Colorado
• Coverage: ESPNU

Colorado vs Utah Valley Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: COLO: (-182) | UT VAL: (+150)
• Spread: COLO: -3.5 (-120) | UT VAL: +3.5 (-102)
• Total: 144.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Colorado enters this contest as a small favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 9:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 144.5 points, which is above average compared to Sunday's NIT projected totals.

Colorado vs Utah Valley Betting Trends

• Colorado is 15-19-0 against the spread this season.
• Against the spread as 3.5-point favorites or more, the Buffaloes are 6-12.
• There have been 15 Colorado's games (out of 34) that went over the total this year.
• Utah Valley has beaten the spread 21 times in 30 games.
• The Wolverines' ATS record as 3.5-point underdogs or greater is 3-2.
• Utah Valley has played 30 games this season, and 16 of them have gone over the total.

Colorado Rank	Colorado AVG		Utah Valley AVG	Utah Valley Rank
214th	69.9	Points Scored	77.1	54th
72nd	66.7	Points Allowed	68.0	118th
70th	33.6	Rebounds	37.6	2nd
94th	9.4	Off. Rebounds	9.1	122nd
268th	6.6	3pt Made	6.6	268th
180th	13.0	Assists	16.1	18th
265th	12.7	Turnovers	13.2	303rd

Colorado vs Utah Valley Prediction & Pick

Utah Valley's dreams of an NCAA Tournament appearance were crushed in the WAC Tournament when it lost to Southern Utah 89-88. It's safe to say the Wolverines' motivation to win a postseason title did not go away, though. It out-rebounded New Mexico 49-38 and controlled the boards to win.

The victory was Utah Valley's 11th on the road this season, which is tied for the highest mark in the country. The Wolverines have a shot to make another statement against a Colorado team that also struggles to rebound. The Buffaloes rank 136th in opponent rebounds allowed per game (33.6).

Utah Valley is 4-1 straight up in its last five games as an underdog, so back the Wolverines here.

Final Score Prediction: Colorado: 69 | Utah Valley: 71

Colorado vs Utah Valley Best Bet

Bettors hesitant to back Utah Valley as a +150 moneyline underdog can shift gears to the 3.5-point spread in this one. The Wolverines are 5-0 against the spread (ATS) in their last five games against a Pac-12 foe and 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall. They continue to impress on a nightly basis.

Colorado is a dismal 0-6 ATS in its last six games against a WAC opponent and is just 8-9 ATS in its 17 home games this season. Utah Valley rosters four players averaging over 11.0 points per game, meaning the Buffaloes cannot just plan to shut down one player in hopes of pulling off a win at home.

Bet: Utah Valley Wolverines +3.5 (-102)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.