The Utah Utes take on the Washington Huskies in Seattle, WA. Tip-off is set for 11 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
Washington favored by 11.5 points on the spread with a price of 88 cents to win and the total set at 156.5 points on Fanatics Markets.
Here’s my Utah vs. Washington predictions and college basketball picks for December 29, 2025.
Utah vs Washington Prediction
My Pick: Under 156.5
My Utah vs Washington best bet is on the under. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Utah vs. Washington Odds
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Utah vs Washington College Basketball Betting Preview
Utah Basketball
Utah is off to a turbulent start to begin the Alex Jensen era. The Utes are 8-4 with just one win over a top-100 program and a slew of nail-biting wins over mid-major programs.
The Utes are an offensive-centric team under Jensen thus far, ranking 90th in offensive efficiency. The makeup of Utah's roster is to let smaller guards Terrence Brown and Don McHenry dominate.
Brown is a lightning-fast guard who lives in the lane. He leads the Utes with 21.5 points per game, but he's shooting just 31% from deep. McHenry is the better shooter of the two, as he's averaging 19 points and hits 42% from deep.
Utah is a fairly efficient offensive squad, posting a 55.6% effective field goal percentage (56th nationally). It also shoots it fairly well from deep, connecting on 36.8% of its 3s (63rd) while shooting 55.9% (72nd) from inside the arc.
Now we can discuss what's holding Utah back from becoming a top-100 team.
The Utes rank 199th in defensive efficiency — one of the worst marks among high-major squads. None of their defensive numbers are promising, as opponents shoot 51% on 2s and 34% on 3s against them (both rank outside the top 150 nationally).
Perhaps of greater worry is Utah's shaky interior play, which leads to rebounding troubles.
Coach Jensen inserted James Okonkwo into the starting lineup recently to add more interior beef. Still, the Utes are 220th in defensive rebounding rate and 215th in offensive rebounding rate.
Pairing Okonkwo with double-double machine Keanu Dawes will help a bit, but I'm unsure it'll make up for what Utah could lose offensively with two bigs.
Washington Basketball
Things were trending positively in Seattle after Washington stormed back to beat USC in Los Angeles. However, then Seattle U took the wind out of Washington's sails with an upset win.
The Huskies' offense is a bit of a disservice to modern basketball. That sounds mean, I know, but Washington just can't shoot the ball.
Just look at who Washington started with Wesley Yates III out with an injury (and his status remains a question). Veteran guard Desmond Claude is a monster going downhill, but he's never been a shooter. Another guard starter — Zoom Diallo — is attempting 1.3 3s per game.
Then we get to the bigs. Franck Kepnang is one of the top rim protectors in America. He's never made a single 3-pointer in his never-ending college career. At least German big man Hannes Steinbach is shooting 54% from 3 on just 11 attempts, though.
The lone saving grace is Quimari Peterson, who shot 42% from deep last season. However, he's shooting just 33% from 3-point range this season.
Danny Sprinkle is a brilliant coach, and he's masked some of the offensive woes by turning the Huskies into an elite rebounding squad. They grab 38% of their misses (18th nationally) and hold teams to offensive boards just 28% of the time.
Washington could bruise Utah on the glass, though it would be wise for the Utes to go zone. We know Utah can't defend or rebound. It might as well force Washington into tough 2s against the zone or allow the Huskies to shoot open 3s.
Moreover, the Huskies are outstanding defensively, ranking 35th in defensive efficiency. It'll be tough for Brown and McHenry to go downhill on Washington's bigger, more athletic guards with Kepnang lurking to contest shots.
Washington holds teams to 46% shooting on 2s, so Utah either has to get to the foul line or shoot better from 3 to beat this defense.
Utah vs. Washington Betting Analysis
I'm rolling with the under here. Washington is 171st in adjusted tempo and Utah is 147th. That's close to the middle of the pack for both, but Washington should play slower with Yates' injury.
Washington playing fast would make sense if it forced turnovers, which it doesn't do often.
With the shot-volume battle weighing in Washington's favor, I expect a steady diet of half-court possessions. Hopefully, that trends towards a low-possession game.
I'm also holding out hope that Utah zones Washington. I mean, the Utes' defense is an abomination, so something has to give. If the Utes play zone, that'll be the perfect ingredient to slow the game down.
In all, the best group on the floor is Washington's defense. It cuts off the guards' driving lanes, which should hold Utah in check.
My Pick: Under 156.5
