Stanford vs Utah basketball injury report and predictions, February 29: Latest on Rollie Worster and more

The Stanford Cardinal (12-15, 7-10 PAC12) hit the road to take on the Utah Utes (16-11, 7-9 PAC12) in a conference matchup on Thursday night. The game will tip off at 8:30 p.m. EST on the PAC12 Network from the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, UT.

Stanford has seen their postseason hopes slip away during the last month, losing six of their last seven games. Utah, meanwhile, has seen a similar lack of success in February, losing four of their last five games.

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Stanford vs Utah basketball injuries

Both teams come into the contest with just a couple injuries, which is a rarity this late in the season. Here are the injury updates for both teams:

Jaylen Thompson, Stanford

Freshman forward Jaylen Thompson is listed as a game time decision due to a head injury. He has not played for Stanford since early December and has played just eight total minutes all season, with five total points.

Rollie Worster, Utah

Senior guard Rollie Worster is listed as a game time decision for the game due to a lower leg injury suffered against UCLA on Jan. 11. Worster has played in 16 games for the Utes this season as a consistent starter.

He averages 9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists with 1.1 steals. Getting Worster back would be a huge boost for Utah, which has gone 4-7 without Worster in the lineup.

Wilguens Exacte Jr., Utah

Sophomore guard Wilguens Exacte Jr. is out for the year after electing to medical redshirt the season due to an undisclosed injury.

He played 32 games for the Utes last season as a freshman, starting twice. Last season, he averaged 3.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists. Exacte will look to return next season and build off what was a promising first season of his collegiate career in 2022-23.

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Stanford vs Utah predictions

Utah enters the matchup as 8.5 point favorites at home, with the over/under set at 157.5. This is the second time this season the two teams will meet, with the first matchup being a 79-73 Stanford victory on Jan. 14.

Utah is led by senior seven-footer and leading scorer, Branden Carlson, who averages 16.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks this season. He's looking to bounce back after a shaky performance in their last matchup, an 89-65 loss to Colorodo on the road.

Carlson managed just six points and six rebounds in their loss at Colordo, shooting 3-8 from the field and 0-3 from beyond the arc.

Another key piece for Utah is senior guard Gabe Madsen, who iaverages 13.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists. He's coming off a strong performance against Colorado, with 18 points and four boards.

The Stanford Cardinal are looking for something positive to take to the end of the season with just a few games remaining in the regular season. They have lost four consecutive games, with their most recent loss being an 85-73 loss to Oregon State at home.

Stanford is led by junior forward Maxime Raynaud, a seven-footer hailing from Paris, France. He's averaging 15.3 points, shooting 56.9% from the field, and ranks 19th in the nation in rebounding average, with 9.9 boards per game.

The biggest area of improvement for this Stanford team is their ball movement. They have just one player averaging over three assists on the season.

Although Stanford should have the upper hand after taking the first matchup this season between these two teams, Utah will be looking for revenge, and they have the talent to do it. Both Raynaud and Carlson are excellent rim protectors, which will make this an exciting matchup to watch.

The point spread opened at 7.5 in favor of Utah but has since changed to 8.5. That spread seems a bit too wide for these two teams. Although Utah is expected to win this game, it should be a close game when the clock hits zero.

Prediction: Stanford to cover +8.5 points