Utah vs Oregon State Odds, Pick: Back the ‘Dog

Utah takes on Oregon State on Thursday, March 7 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPNU. Here's college basketball odds and a pick for

Utah and Oregon State meet Thursday night in a Pac-12 Conference showdown at Gill Coliseum.

The Utes are on the NCAA tournament bubble with an 18-11 overall record.

Meanwhile, the Beavers can play spoiler in their final two regular season games of what has been a disappointing season.

In his third season with the program, coach Craig Smith is looking to get Utah back to The Big Dance for the first time since 2016. The school also hasn’t played in a postseason tournament since the 2018 NIT.

Coming into this game, the Utes are projected to be in the field in 41 of 104 bracketology publishers, according to Bracket Matrix. That would have them on the outside looking in.

If Utah is going to keep playing, Smith needs another big performance from Deivon Smith. The reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week recently recorded his third triple-double of the season.

In doing so, Smith became just the third Pac-12 player to record three in a season, joining Jason Kidd and Andre Iguadala. The only other player from a major conference to join that trio is LSU’s Shaquille O’Neal.

In addition to Smith, Utah's Branden Carlson (16.7 PPG) and Gabe Madsen (13.2) also average double figures. All three will be needed for this late-season push.

Coach Wayne Tinkle and his squad have to be excited to return to their home arena. Oregon State has played the past three, and four of five, on the road.

The recent road trips haven’t slowed down the Beavers on the offensive end of the floor as Tinkle’s squad has scored at least 70 points in three straight.

When scoring 70 or more points, Oregon State is 11-5. The Beavers improve to 7-1 when reaching the 80-point threshold.

Jordan Pope has been the key contributor to those offensive outputs. The sophomore guard ranks in the top six in the Pac-12 in scoring (17.6 PPG) and 3-pointers made per game (2.1).

My best bet for this game is to back Oregon State +7.5 at FanDuel, which I'd play down to +5. I also don’t hate a sprinkle on the moneyline.

This handicap comes down to the home and road splits for both schools.

In eight league games away from home, the Utes have only covered the spread once. They've also been losing at halftime of every road trip in Pac-12 play.

Meanwhile, we all know this has been a disappointing season for Oregon State. However, the Beavers have been competitive at home.

Tinkle’s team has covered the spread in six of eight league games at Gill Coliseum. That includes an upset win over No. 5 Arizona and a cover against No. 18 Washington State.

Programs that are on the bubble often play themselves out of the tournament and crumble under pressure as they look ahead to the NCAA Tournament. I think this is a great spot to fade Utah on the road.

Pick: Oregon State +7.5 (Play to +5)