Utah Valley vs. Colorado prediction and odds for NIT second round

Utah Valley looked dominant against New Mexico in the first round against New Mexico and now head to Boulder to face Colorado, who escaped the first round against Seton Hall.

Both Utah Valley and Colorado’s defenses are the focal point of their team, who will advance out of the first weekend of the 2023 NIT Tournament?

Here are the odds for the Sunday night matchup:

Utah Valley vs. Colorado odds, spread and total

Utah Valley vs. Colorado prediction and pick

Utah Valley is not your ordinary WAC team. The team went 26-8 under head coach Mark Madsen and were on the wrong end of one of the craziest comebacks of all time, leading by 20-plus in the second half of the semifinals of the conference tournament before melting down to lose.

Now, the Wolverines look to avenge their NCAA Tournament miss with an NIT run and they should have the defense to keep a lid on the Colorado offense that lacks the shot making to win by multiple possessions. UVU is 32nd in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency and have the second best interior defense in the nation, holding foes to 42% shooting.

Meanwhile, Colorado is a mess on offense. Outside the top 200 in both turnover rate and effective field goal percentage. The team is far better on the defensive end, where it funnels teams inside and into their length where it swarms on ball-handlers. The Buffs are 102nd nationally in turnover rate and also 65th in two-point defense while limiting foes 3-point attempts.

However, Utah Valley does a good job of initiating contact and getting to the free throw line (57th in free throw rate). Ultimately, I don’t trust Colorado’s offense to pull away and win this game by multiple possessions.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.