WAC Tournament: Grand Canyon vs. Southern Utah odds, picks and predictions
The Grand Canyon Antelopes (23-11) attempt to finish off their season in style with a win over the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (22-11) in the WAC Championship Game Saturday. Tip from Orleans Arena in Las Vegas is scheduled for 11:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook's lines around the Grand Canyon vs. Southern Utah odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Grand Canyon upset top-seeded Sam Houston State in a Friday semifinal 78-75. F Noah Baumann's go-ahead 3-pointer with 51 seconds left broke a 73-all tie for the 5th-seeded Lopes, who were 3-point underdogs - the Over 127 easily cashed. G Kobe Knox led GCU with 21 points, while Baumann and G Chance McMillian finished with 17 points apiece.
No. 3 seed Southern Utah knocked off No. 2 seed Utah Valley 89-88 in the other semifinal to punch its ticket into this game. G Tevian Jones' 4-point play - 3-pointer and free throw - with 4 seconds left completed the wild finish. Jones scored a team-high 20 points and G Harrison Butler added 19 for the Thunderbirds, who were 4-point underdogs - Over 151 was also a winner.
The Antelopes and Thunderbirds met just once this season with Grand Canyon claiming an 83-78 upset as a 5-point road underdog March 1 with the Over 149 hitting.
Southern Utah finished 3rd in the WAC with a 12-6 conference record and Grand Canyon tied for 4th at 11-7, but now both are 1 win away from being the league's lone representative in the NCAA Tournament.
Both enter Saturday night's title game on winning streaks. Southern Utah has won 3 in a row and Grand Canyon comes in sporting a 5-game winning streak.
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