Utah vs. Wichita State College Basketball Game Preview, Prediction, TV Schedule

By Taylor Sturm
Wichita State Shockers Basketball
Gary Rohman/MLS/USA TODAY Sports

TV Schedule: Saturday, Dec. 12, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Arena: Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Ks.

The Utah Utes have finally and deservingly slid into the top 25 at the No. 25 spot, but they will get the Wichita State Shockers on the road at quite possibly the worst time, as Fred VanVleet returned to action last week and will play on Saturday afternoon.

The Utes have just one loss on the season to the Miami Hurricanes, but have since won four straight games. Although they struggled a bit early against the Temple Owls, Utah won handily over the other three teams and has looked great up to now. Jakob Poeltl and Jordan Loveridge are the real deal and could carry this team to the top of the Pac-12, even if the Utes were without talented players like Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Taylor.

Wichita State, on the other hand, has lost four games to start the season, but the good news is that all four losses came to teams that should finish with or around a top 100 RPI. Ron Baker picked up the slack in VanVleet’s absence, but he will likely be able to play a lot more comfortably now that his fellow senior scorer is back. The Shockers have probably seen their worst stretch of the season and will get back on track soon.

Both of these teams will make the 2016 NCAA tournament, so we could be getting a preview of a potential Sweet 16 game in this matchup. I love Utah as a dark horse to win the Pac-12, but I think the Shockers are tired of losing and the return of VanVleet will push them to victory over the Utes, as we saw in their victory over the UNLV Rebels. It will be a close one in Kansas, but I’m picking the Shockers at home.

Prediction: Wichita State 68, Utah 65

Taylor Sturm is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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