Arizona Wildcats vs Utah Utes Prediction, 1/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Arizona Wildcats vs Utah Utes

Date: Saturday, January 3, 2026

Location: Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, UT

TV: Peacock

The Utah Utes (8-5) will try to defeat the Arizona Wildcats (13-0) at Jon M. Huntsman Center on Saturday.

The Arizona Wildcats took the court against South Dakota State and went home with a win by a final score of 99-71 in their last contest. In reference to personal fouls, the Wildcats ended up with 15 and South Dakota State totaled 19 personal fouls. They also converted 10 of 22 shots from distance. South Dakota State walked away from this one shooting 52.9% at the free throw line by burying 9 of 17 attempts. In addition, South Dakota State pulled down 27 rebounds (7 offensive, 20 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. South Dakota State distributed 16 assists and had 8 steals in the matchup. Regarding defending, Arizona allowed the other team to go 40.6% from the field on 26 of 64 shooting. They also doled out 26 dimes in the matchup as well as forcing the opposition into 14 turnovers and earning 9 steals. In relation to grabbing rebounds, they compiled 43 with 12 of them being of the offensive sort. From the free throw line, the Wildcats knocked down 24 of 31 tries for a rate of 77.4%. Arizona ended with a 53.2% field goal percentage (33 out of 62) and converted 9 out of their 23 shots from 3-point land.

Koa Peat is one guy who had an impact for the contest. He ended up scoring 19 points on 7 out of 12 shooting. He saw the court for 30 mins played and also snagged 14 rebounds. He finished the game shooting 58.3% from the floor and also distributed 3 assists.

Get all of our NCAA Betting Picks

Arizona comes into this matchup with a mark of 13-0 for the year. They currently have an average of 90.3 pts per contest (21st in the country) while hitting 52.0% from the field. The Wildcats are connecting on 37.8% on 3-point shots (88 of 233) and 73.0% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Arizona is pulling in 43.6 rebounds per contest and has earned 251 dimes for the campaign, which ranks 28th in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They are turning it over 12.8 times per game and as a squad they are committing 16.3 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Wildcats are forcing their opponents into 14.3 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 19.6 fouls. They are relinquishing 33.1% on 3-pointers and they rank 39th in D-1 in opponents points per game (66.2). The Wildcats are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 39.3% (304 of 773) and they concede 29.0 rebounds per game as a squad. They are ranked 66th in Division 1 in giving up assists with 156 conceded for the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Utah Utes took a loss by a final score of 74-65 when they played Washington. In reference to how they cleaned up the glass, Utah allowed Washington to collect 30 in all (4 on the offensive glass). They finished the game shooting 20.0% from downtown by connecting on 3 of 15 and finished the contest at 17 of 20 from the free throw line (85.0%). The Utes permitted Washington to convert 27 of 53 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 50.9% for the contest. When the final whistle blew, the Utes went 25 for 64 from the floor which had them sitting at 39.1%. Pertaining to shooting from beyond the arc, Utah knocked down 7 of their 24 attempts (29.2%). They were able to bury 8 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 57.1%. Washington earned 10 fouls for this contest which took the Utes to the free throw line for a total of 14 attempts. They also coughed up the ball 12 times, while recording 7 steals in the game. The Utes earned 22 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards totaling 32 for the matchup.

Terrence Brown pitched in for the Utes for this contest. He made 8 of 19 in this matchup giving him a rate of 42.1%, and accounted for 3 rebounds. He earned 21 points in his 32 minutes on the court and had 4 assists in this contest.

Utah has a win-loss record of 8-5 so far this season. As an offense, the Utes are shooting 47.3% from the field, which is 99th in the nation. Utah has tallied 1,054 pts for the year (81.1 per contest) and they pull in 36.1 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 14.7 times per contest (167th in the nation) and they turn the ball over 11.8 times per game. The Utes have committed 17.9 fouls every game while shooting 73.1% from the charity stripe.

The Utah defense surrenders 33.7% on three-point shots (91 of 270) and their opponents are converting on 68.3% of their foul shots. They have surrendered 12.1 assists and 35.8 rebounds per game, which is 83rd and 253rd in the country. The Utes on defense are ranked 304th in college hoops in points allowed per contest with 78.5. They have forced 10.8 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.9% from the floor (300th in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Utah

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Get college basketball picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.