Games to Bet in the Pac-12 This Week

It would be impossible to write a Pac-12 Preview of the Week without mentioning the only ranked team in the conference, No. 8 Arizona. Although the Wildcats have only lost three games, two of those defeats were surprising, to say the least.

Arizona’s first loss to No. 3 Purdue – now No. 1 as of this writing – was understandable but a 96-95 double overtime home loss to FAU and an 18-point road loss to Stanford was stunning considering the Cats were installed as seven- and 12-½ point favorites, respectively.

Yet, Arizona has rebounded with a vengeance, defeating Colorado by 47 points followed by a 19-point victory over Utah. Let’s also note that Arizona has covered 12 of their 15 games this season according to the prevailing college basketball odds.

Arizona’s opponent on Saturday night, Washington State, limped into Wednesday’s matching at USC but came away with an eight-point victory, covering for only the second time in the last nine games. The Cougars are just 1-6 straight up and 3-4 ATS in their last seven meetings with the Wildcats.

California (6-10 SU, 8-8 ATS) vs Oregon (12-3 SU, 10-5 ATS)

• Date/Time: Saturday, January 13, 8:00 p.m. ET
• Golden Bears vs Ducks Live Stream: TBS.com

California had lost five of their last six before traveling to UCLA to meet the Bruins in their own den. The biggest online sports betting sites installed the Golden Bears as 6½-point road dogs, but the oddsmakers soon found out they had the wrong favorite as California pulled a 66-57 upset. The Bears posted another upset with an 82-78 win over Colorado on Wednesday night.

The Ducks are 12-3 overall and a perfect 4-0 in conference play. Moreover, they are in the midst of a five-game winning streak and have won eight of their last nine games. We should also note that Oregon has had a full week to rest and prepare for this Saturday night clash with California. Many of the college basketball expert picks you’ll find will advise a wager on the Ducks over the vastly inferior Bears, but consider taking the points as this line will likely be inflated.

USC (8-8 SU, 8-8 ATS) vs. Colorado (11-5 SU, 8-8 ATS)

• Date/Time: Saturday, January 13, 10:00 p.m. ET
• Live Stream: TBS.com

If it’s betting patterns you seek, then look no further than the USC Trojans. They have covered the number in each of their last five wins and have failed to cover in all seven of their losses this season. The Trojans stumbled against Washington State on Wednesday, falling at home 82-74.

MONSTER game from @iamkobejohnson today!

T-career-high 21 points
5 rebounds
5 assists
5 steals
2 blocks
0 turnovers pic.twitter.com/6GC0VP3pyO

— USC Men’s Basketball (@USC_Hoops) January 6, 2024

Speaking of Colorado, it saw its six-game winning streak snapped in a big way when Arizona schooled the Buffaloes in a 97-50 thrashing. However, they followed that up with a gritty, albeit losing, effort against Arizona State in which the Sun Devils eked out a 76-73 win.

Colorado traveled to California on Wednesday night and lost despite being listed as 4- to 4-½ point road chalk according to the early college basketball odds. The Buffaloes look to rebound against the Trojans on Saturday night.

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