George Washington Colonials vs Utah Valley Wolverines Prediction, 3/18/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: George Washington Colonials vs Utah Valley Wolverines

Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026

Location: UCCU Center in Orem, UT

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: George Washington (+1)

The Utah Valley Wolverines (25-8) will take on the George Washington Colonials (18-15) at UCCU Center on Wednesday in the 1st round of the NIT. George Washington opens as 1-point underdogs. The over/under is 157.

The George Washington Colonials stepped onto the hardwood against Saint Louis and went home with a loss by a final score of 88-81 in their last game. George Washington finished having earned a 40.0% FG percentage (28 of 70) and converted 13 of 39 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the free throw line, the Colonials buried 12 of their 20 attempts for a rate of 60.0%. In terms of pulling down boards, they earned 40 with 16 of them being offensive. They also recorded 15 assists for the contest in addition to forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When talking about defending, George Washington allowed the other team to go 45.8% from the floor on 27 of 59 shooting. Saint Louis doled out 19 dimes and had 7 steals for this game. Additionally, Saint Louis collected 33 boards (7 offensive, 26 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Saint Louis finished 92.3% from the charity stripe by making 24 of their 26 attempts. They made 10 of their 30 tries from downtown. Regarding fouls, the Colonials left the arena with 21 while Saint Louis totaled 16 fouls.

Trey Autry is one guy who was a contributor in the game. He walked away from this one shooting 46.2% from the floor and also dished out 1 assist. He was on the hardwood for 30 mins and totaled 2 boards. He ended up with 19 points on 6 of 13 shooting.

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George Washington heads into this matchup with a mark of 18-15 for the year. They currently have an average of 82.1 pts per contest (51st in D-1) while hitting 46.7% from the floor. The Colonials are shooting 35.2% from downtown (329 of 935) and 71.8% from the free throw line. As a team, George Washington is pulling down 37.7 rebounds per game and has totaled 519 dimes for the season, which ranks 68th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They are turning it over 12.7 times per contest and as a squad they commit 17.9 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Colonials are forcing 12.8 turnovers every game while drawing 17.1 fouls. They currently rank 315th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 504 relinquished on the year. The Colonials are giving up a shooting percentage of 44.4% (843 of 1,899) and they concede 31.9 rebounds per contest as a group. They are surrendering 33.2% on shots from distance while they are 179th in college in points per game allowed (73.7).

In their last game, the Utah Valley Wolverines took a loss by a score of 63-61 when they faced California Baptist. The Wolverines corralled 20 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 28 in the matchup. They turned the ball over 13 times, while getting 6 steals in this game. California Baptist committed 20 personal fouls for this game which took the Wolverines to the free throw line for 24 attempts. They were able to knock down 14 of the free throw tries for a rate of 58.3%. In the matter of shots from 3-point land, Utah Valley buried 3 of their 8 tries (37.5%). When all was said and done, the Wolverines finished 22 for 50 from the field which gave them a percentage of 44.0%. The Wolverines permitted California Baptist to bury 22 of 58 tries from the field which left them with a rate of 37.9% for this contest. They finished 34.6% from 3-point land by connecting on 9 out of 26 and ended up going 10 of 11 at the charity stripe (90.9%). When talking about how they attacked the glass, Utah Valley permitted California Baptist to pull down 29 in total (6 offensive).

Jackson Holcombe ended up being a factor for the Wolverines in the game. He earned 18 points in his 31 minutes on the court and had 1 assist for the matchup. He made 6 of 12 in the game for a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and accumulated 3 rebounds.

Utah Valley has a mark of 25-8 so far this year. The Wolverines are responsible for committing 18.4 fouls every game and they shoot 69.2% from the free throw line. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 18.4 times per contest (8th in the country) and they are turning it over 14.1 times per contest. Utah Valley has 2,646 points for the campaign (80.2 per contest) and they average 36.7 rebounds per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Wolverines are shooting 50.3% from the floor, which ranks them 10th in college.

The Utah Valley defense gives up 33.8% on shots from behind the 3-point line (215 of 636) and opponents are making 72.3% of their free throw shots. They relinquish 12.3 dimes and 31.5 boards per game, which is ranked 92nd and 33rd in college. The Wolverines on defense are ranked 49th in college hoops in points given up per game with 68.5. They are forcing 15.2 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 41.5% from the floor (44th in college hoops).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take George Washington (+1)

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