Grand Canyon vs Southern Utah & Odds for WAC Title Game
By Robert Duff in College Basketball
Published:
- Southern Utah and Grand Canyon are set as a pick’em in the WAC Tournament final on Saturday, Mar 11
- Grand Canyon is in the final for the fourth time in five years
- Southern Utah has never qualified for March Madness
Getting to the WAC Tournament final is old hat for the Grand Canyon Antelopes (23-11, 13-18 ATS), but it’s a whole new experience for the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (22-11, 16-11-2 ATS).
The Antelopes are one step away from going to March Madness for the fourth time in five years. Grand Canyon won the 2021 WAC Tournament title in 2021, earning the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. However, the Antelopes lost in the final in both 2019 and 2018. The 2020 tourney was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Southern Utah was reaching the NCAA Tournament for the only time in school history in 2001. They did so as champions of the Mid-Continent Conference.
Oddsmakers are sitting on the fence for this game. They’ve set it as a pick’em.
Grand Canyon vs Southern Utah Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Canyon | PICK | -110 | O 151.5 (-110) |
| Southern Utah | PICK | -110 | U 151.5 (-110) |
Neither of these schools are supposed to be here today. It was top-seeded Sam Houston State that was expected to be the #13 seed in the South Region in the projected March Madness bracket. Both Grand Canyon and Southern Utah are assigned a betting line of +300000 in the March Madness odds.
Tip-off for this game is set for 8:30 pm ET on Saturday, March 11 at the Orleans Arena. The game is being carried by ESPN2. Grand Canyon was set as the +2000 fifth betting choice to win the tourney in the WAC Tournament opening odds. Southern Utah opened as the +800 third choice in this betting market.
Odds as of March 11 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Thunderbirds vs Antelopes Betting Trends
Grand Canyon is 6-2 ATS in the last eight games as a betting underdog. But the Antelopes are just 6-10 ATS over their past 16 games.
Southern Utah is 2-1 ATS in the past three games and 4-3 ATS over the last seven games. Three of the last four Wolverines games have gone over.
Southern Utah Stages Monumental Rally
An improbable finish moved the Thunderbirds on in the WAC tourney. Southern Utah staged a massive second-half comeback to edge #2 seed Utah Valley 89-88 in Friday’s semifinal.
Utah Valley led by eight at halftime. It was 59-36, a 23-point advantage for the Wolverines, with 15:42 left in the second half. That’s when the Thunderbirds came storming back.
TEVIAN FOR THE WIN 🤯🤯🤯
AND 1️⃣#TBirdNation pic.twitter.com/4fkzvN4S91
— SUU Men's Basketball (@SUUBasketball) March 11, 2023
Guard Tevian Jones completed the improbable comeback when he hit a 3-pointer and one with 4.9 seconds left in regulation for an 89-88 Thunderbirds victory.
Jones paced Southern Utah with 20 points. Forward Harrison Butler netted 19 points and center Jason Spurgin contributed 15 points. Cameron Healy added 14 points off the bench. Southern Utah is 6-1 SU in the last seven games against Utah Valley.
Antelopes Playing Role of Giant Killers
When Grand Canyon won the 2021 WAC Tournament title, the Antelopes came into the event as the #1 seed. In both of their losses in the tourney final, Grand Canyon got there as the #3 seed.
This season, the Antelopes came into the WAC tourney as the #5 seed. In the quarterfinals, they bumped off #4 Seattle 84-79. The biggest upset was coming, though. Grand Canyon took out #1 Sam Houston State 78-75 in Friday’s semifinal.
𝐋𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄!!! pic.twitter.com/Kp4FhMc4Zl
— Grand Canyon Men’s Basketball (@GCU_MBB) March 11, 2023
Guard Kobe Knox was leading the upset path with 21 points. Guard Chance McMillian and Noah Baumann, off the bench, each were contributing 17 points.
Antelopes guard Jovan Blacksher Jr, who was the 2021 WAC Tourney MVP, was lost earlier this season to a knee injury.
Grand Canyon vs Utah Valley Prediction
Both teams appear to be heating up at the right time of year. The Antelopes have won five in a row and seven of their last eight games. Meanwhile, the Thunderbirds have won three in a row and five of seven. They halted Utah Valley’s five-game win streak in the semifinals
The two schools have met once previously this season. Grand Canyon won 83-78 as 5-point home underdogs on March 1. That was Southern Utah’s most recent setback.
Pick: Grand Canyon Antelopes ML (-110).
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
