The ninth-seeded Cincinnati Bearcats face the No. 16 seed Utah Runnin' Utes in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament today.
The Utes have the lowest-rated defense in the conference and my college basketball picks expect the Bearcats to take advantage. Here are my Cincinnati vs. Utah predictions for March 10.
Cincinnati vs Utah prediction
Cincinnati vs Utah best bet
Cincinnati vs Utah best bet: Cincinnati Team Total Over 74.5 (-120)
The Cincinnati Bearcats ended the regular season with a 73-63 loss to TCU. However, they entered that contest red-hot, winning six of their previous seven and scoring 84+ points in five of those games.
Cincinnati scored just 69 points at home against the Utah Utes last month but went 4-15 from deep so expect positive regression. Especially since Utah ranks dead-last in league play in opponent eFG% (55.9%) and opponent TO rate.
Since the start of February, the Bearcats are third in the conference in eFG% (55.6%) while ranking fourth in turnover rate and offensive rebounding.
Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account
Cincinnati vs Utah same-game parlay
Center Moustapha Thiam was held to just eight points and five boards in Cincinnati's regular season finale. However, Thiam had averaged 20.8 ppg and 10.4 rpg in his previous five games.
He should bounce back against a Utes squad that sits outside the top 300 in opponent two-point percentage (54.8%) and struggles on the glass.
Cincinnati vs Utah SGP
- Cincinnati Team Total Over 74.5
- Moustapha Thiam Over 15.5 points
- Moustapha Thiam Over 7.5 rebounds
Our beyond the arc SGP: Cincinnati Surge
Jalen Celestine went just 1-3 from the arc in the previous clash with Utah but has been given the green light to shoot since. He has attempted 8+ threes in three of his last five games while knocking down more than 2.5 threes in four of those contests.
Cincinnati vs Utah SGP
- Cincinnati Team Total Over 74.5
- Moustapha Thiam Over 15.5 points
- Moustapha Thiam Over 7.5 rebounds
- Jalen Celestine Over 2.5 threes
Cincinnati vs Utah odds
- Spread: Cincinnati -11 | Utah +11
- Moneyline: Cincinnati -700 | Utah +500
- Over/Under: Over 137.5 | Under 137.5
Cincinnati vs Utah betting trend to know
The Bearcats have covered the first half spread in 13 of their last 19 games (+6.05 Units / 28% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for Cincinnati vs. Utah.
How to watch Cincinnati vs Utah
| Location | T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO |
| Date | Tuesday, March 10, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Cincinnati vs Utah key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
