Half-time report
Grand Canyon and Southern Utah showed up to the game, but their offenses certainly didn’t. With a score of 41-31, Grand Canyon appears to be the better team, but there is still one half to play.
Grand Canyon entered the contest having won four straight and they are now only half of each other. Will they reach five, or will Southern Utah step in and ruin it? We will know soon.
Who’s playing
Southern Utah Thunderbirds @ Grand Canyon Antelopes
Current records: Southern Utah 8-6, Grand Canyon 10-4
How to watch
- When: Saturday January 4, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET
- Or: World Credit Union Arena – Phoenix, Arizona
- TV: ESPN Plus
- Follow: CBS Sports app
- Online broadcast: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket cost: $14.70
What you need to know
If the bettors’ predictions are true, the near future looks promising for the Grand Canyon. They and the Southern Utah Thunderbirds will face off in a WAC battle Saturday at 8 p.m. ET at Global Credit Union Arena. The Thunderbirds enter this competition hampered by four straight losses, while the Antelopes will bounce back with four straight wins.
Grand Canyon just scored the most points of the entire season. They beat Bryant, winning 112-66. The match was decided at halftime, when the score had already reached 61-23.
Grand Canyon broke the offensive glass and finished the game with 22 offensive rebounds. This strong performance was nothing new for the team: they have now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in seven consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Southern Utah entered its game against Northern Arizona two weeks ago undefeated at home, but there’s a first time for everything. Southern Utah lost 83-75 to Northern Arizona. The Thunderbirds’ season wasn’t great last year, but it appears the struggles are behind us.
Grand Canyon’s victory was its sixth straight home victory, which improved its record to 10-4. As for Southern Utah, their loss ended a six-game home winning streak and dropped them to 8-6.
Rebounding will likely be a big factor in this contest: Grand Canyon has crashed the boards this season, averaging 38 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like Southern Utah struggles in this department, as its average was 38.9. As both teams fight to recover missed shots, we’ll see if one team can take the lead.
Everything went rosy for Grand Canyon against Southern Utah in their previous matchup in February 2024, as the team earned a 94-65 victory. Does Grand Canyon have another victory up its sleeve, or will Southern Utah turn things around? We’ll have the answer soon enough.
Odds
Grand Canyon is a heavy 17-point favorite against Southern Utah, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The line drifted a bit toward the Antelopes, as the game opened with the Antelopes as 15-point favorites.
The over/under is 153.5 points.
See college basketball picks for every game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get Picks Now.
History of the series
Grand Canyon has won every game it has played against Southern Utah over the last 2 years.
- February 10, 2024 – Grand Canyon 94 vs. Southern Utah 65
- January 4, 2024 – Grand Canyon 96 vs. Southern Utah 75
- March 11, 2023 – Grand Canyon 84 vs. Southern Utah 66
- March 1, 2023 – Grand Canyon 83 vs. Southern Utah 78
