Utah Tech Trailblazers vs Southern Utah Thunderbirds Prediction, 2/28/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Utah Tech Trailblazers vs Southern Utah Thunderbirds

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2026

Location: America First Events Center in Cedar City, UT

TV: ESPN+

America First Events Center is the site where the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (9-19) will play the Utah Tech Trailblazers (18-12) on Saturday.

The Utah Tech Trailblazers stepped onto the hardwood against Abilene Christian and walked away with a win by a score of 85-81 in their last contest. Utah Tech wrapped up the contest with a 61.1% FG percentage (33 of 54) and made 8 of their 19 three-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Trailblazers made 11 of 15 attempts for a percentage of 73.3%. When talking about hauling in boards, they earned 27 with 4 of them being offensive. They also recorded 17 dimes in the matchup as well as forcing the opposition into 6 turnovers and earning 4 steals. When talking about defending, Utah Tech allowed the other team to shoot 48.4% from the field on 30 of 62 shooting. Abilene Christian recorded 15 dimes and had 7 steals for this contest. Furthermore, Abilene Christian pulled down 24 rebounds (5 offensive, 19 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Abilene Christian finished the game shooting 87.5% from the free throw line by knocking down 14 of their 16 attempts. They also converted 7 of 22 attempts from 3-point land. In relation to personal fouls, the Trailblazers ended up finishing with 14 and Abilene Christian totaled 19 personal fouls.

Ethan Potter is one player who was a major factor in this game. He finished the contest at 78.6% from the floor and recorded 2 dimes. He saw the court for 36 minutes played and also snagged 8 rebounds. He notched 25 points on 11 out of 14 shooting.

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Utah Tech enters this game with a win-loss mark of 18-12 on the campaign. They are giving up possession 12.2 times per contest and as a squad are committing 15.9 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Utah Tech is pulling down 34.5 rebounds per game and has 435 dimes this year, which ranks 111th in the nation in terms of passing. The Trailblazers are connecting on 34.3% on shots from distance (234 of 683) and 72.1% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 76.4 points per game (165th in Division 1) while shooting 47.2% from the floor.

When they are on the defensive end, the Trailblazers are forcing 12.5 turnovers per game and they draw 16.8 fouls. They are 157th in college in giving up assists with 375 relinquished on the campaign. The Trailblazers are giving up a FG percentage of 43.7% (798 of 1,826) and they surrender 35.8 boards per contest as a team. They are surrendering 28.9% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 171st in the country in points per game from their opponents (73.4).

When they last stepped on the court, the Southern Utah Thunderbirds walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 87-83 against Abilene Christian. When discussing rebounds, Southern Utah permitted Abilene Christian to snag 19 in total (5 on the offensive side). They finished 21.4% from beyond the perimeter by going 3 of 14 and finished the game at 24 of 33 at the charity stripe (72.7%). The Thunderbirds allowed Abilene Christian to make 30 of 54 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 55.6% for the game. At the conclusion of this game, the Thunderbirds went 29 for 50 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 58.0%. In relation to 3-pointers, Southern Utah made 9 out of their 13 tries (69.2%). They were able to make 16 of the free throws for a clip of 72.7%. Abilene Christian was called for 21 fouls for the game which took the Thunderbirds to the free throw line for a total of 22 tries. They turned the ball over 24 times, while earning 9 steals for the matchup. The Thunderbirds pulled down 19 defensive boards and 6 offensive boards totaling 25 for the matchup.

Logan Stephens ended up being a factor for the Thunderbirds in the matchup. He racked up 20 points in his 22 minutes on the hardwood and accumulated 1 assist in the matchup. He converted 5 of 7 in this game for a rate of 71.4%, and accumulated 2 rebounds.

Southern Utah has a win-loss mark of 9-19 this year. The Thunderbirds are committing 16.6 fouls per contest and they go 72.6% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.9 times per game (179th in the nation) and they turn the ball over 14.5 times per contest. Southern Utah has tallied 2,135 pts this year (76.3 per game) and they collect 36.1 boards per contest. When it comes to offense, the Thunderbirds are connecting on 45.8% from the field, which ranks them 149th in the country.

The Thunderbirds are ranked 327th in the nation in points given up per game with 79.8. They are forcing 11.0 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 46.4% from the field (304th in Division 1). The Southern Utah defense surrenders 36.3% on 3-pointers (191 of 526) and opponents are connecting on 70.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They concede 13.5 dimes and 36.1 rebounds every game, which is 197th and 289th in the nation.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Utah Tech

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