The Southern Utah Thunderbirds will be looking for payback on Saturday when they face the Grand Canyon Antelopes in the 2023 WAC Tournament championship game in Las Vegas. The Antelopes (23-11) took an 83-78 road victory against the Thunderbirds (22-11) on March 1. Both teams scraped by higher seeds Friday night to set up their final showdown. Fifth-seeded Grand Canyon knocked off top seed Sam Houston State 78-75, while third-seeded Southern Utah eked out an 89-88 victory against No. 2 Utah Valley. Grand Canyon won the 2021 tournament and was runner-up in the previous two editions. This is Southern Utah’s first season in the WAC.
Tipoff at Orleans Arena is set for 11:30 p.m. ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Thunderbirds as 1-point favorites in the latest Grand Canyon vs. Southern Utah odds, and the over/under for total points scored is 147.5. Before locking in any Southern Utah vs. Grand Canyon picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters conference tournament week 76-51 on all-top rated college basketball picks this season, returning nearly $1,200 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now the model has zeroed in on Grand Canyon vs. Southern Utah and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Now, here are several college basketball odds and betting lines for Southern Utah vs. Grand Canyon:
- Grand Canyon vs. Southern Utah spread: Southern Utah -1
- Grand Canyon vs. Southern Utah over/under: 147.5 points
- Grand Canyon vs. Southern Utah money line: Southern Utah -120, Grand Canyon +100
- Grand Canyon: 4-1 ATS in last five games
- Southern Utah: 16-12-1 ATS on the season
- Grand Canyon vs. Southern Utah picks: See picks at SportsLine
Featured Game | Southern Utah Thunderbirds vs. Grand Canyon Antelopes
Why Grand Canyon can cover
The Antelopes are 4-1 ATS in their past five games. The victory on the road should give GCU plenty of confidence coming into this one. Rayshon Harrison, named to the All-WAC First Team earlier this week, scored 29 points and nine rebounds in the game. The Presbyterian transfer, also named Newcomer of the Year, is averaging 17.3 points and 3.5 assists. Forward Gabe McGlothan is second in the WAC in rebounding at 7.9 per game and averages 12.6 points.
Grand Canyon is the much better team defensively, allowing just 63.8 points per game, third-lowest in the conference. The Antelopes are sixth in scoring at 72.1 per contest. The Thunderbirds lead the WAC in scoring but rank 12th defensively, giving up 73.5 points per game. GCU shoots 37.7% from 3-point range and made 10 of 24 (41.7%) in the last meeting. Chance McMillian shoots 44.5% from outside, averaging four made threes per game, and averages 10.9 points.
Why Southern Utah can cover
Southern Utah can score with the best of them, ranking in the top five in the nation and first in the WAC at 83 points per game. They have a well-rounded group that features center Jason Spurgin and All-WAC First-Teamer Tevin Jones and includes Sixth Man of the Year Dee Barnes. Jones averages 17.7 points, and Maizen Fausett and Harrison Butler average more than 11 points and five rebounds. Spurgin scores 10.1 and averages 5.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
Jones scored 20 points, Butler had 19 and Spurgin had 15 in Friday night’s victory. Cameron Healy, who averages 6.2 points, scored 14. So the Thunderbirds can get points from anywhere at any time. Fausett had 31 points and seven boards as Southern Utah outrebounded GCU 37-31 in the last meeting. Jones scored 14 and Butler had 13 and a team-high four assists. The Thunderbirds are 15-7 ATS in their last 22 games when facing a team with a winning record.
How to make Southern Utah vs. Grand Canyon picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 149 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time. You can only see the model’s picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Grand Canyon vs. Southern Utah? And which side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
