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Pac-12 Betting Roundup: UCLA-Arizona Rematch to Impact March Madness Seeding
Will Third Team Play its Way into NCAA Tournament Field?
UCLA has wrapped up the Pac-12 regular-season title and is the top seed in the Pac-12 tournament. However, there is still plenty yet to be decided when it comes to the Pac-12 tournament
Arizona and Southern California meet up on Thursday with the winner taking over sole possession of the second place in the Pac-12. Arizona State faces UCLA while Southern California is looking to hold onto fourth place.
It’s been a tough year in the Pac-12 with only two teams in the national polls. UCLA remained fourth in the Associated Press poll and went from third to fourth in the coaches poll. Arizona dropped to eighth in the Associated Press rankings and to ninth in the coaches poll.
According to the odds to win March Madness, UCLA (+1200) is fifth and Arizona (+1400) is tied for sixth in the odds to win the national title. Next up is USC, which is priced at +17500. UCLA is the front-runner at -800 in the odds to win the Pac-12 title with Arizona coming in at +400.
Despite a mediocre 5-4 record in Quad 1 games, UCLA is fourth in the NCAA NET rankings. Arizona is 11th, in large part as a result of two Quad 2 losses. No. 44 USC is the only other Pac-12 team in the top 50. Looking at March Madness betting, there is a possibility of just two teams from the Pac-12 in the bracket.
Here’s a look at the best games this week in the Pac-12 as the regular season comes to an end.
1. UCLA Bruins
- Record: 25-4 (16-2 Pac-12)
- NCAA NET Ranking: 4
- Remaining schedule: vs Arizona State (Thursday) and vs Arizona (Saturday)
UCLA could still be in play for a No. 1 seed in the March Madness bracket. However, a loss in the final two games of the regular season or in the conference tournament might result in the Bruins landing as a No. 2 seed.
Jaime Jaquez as he has scored at least 20 points in four of his last five games.
The Bruins have won eight games in a row. Four of the last five games have been decided by single digits.
2. Arizona Wildcats
- Record: 24-5 (13-5 Pac-12)
- NCAA NET Ranking: 11
- Remaining schedule: at Southern California (Thursday) and at UCLA (Saturday)
The top seed in the upcoming Pac-12 tournament won’t be at stake when the Wildcats travel to meet UCLA on the final day of the regular season. The game will have serious March Madness seedling implications and aid those getting ready to make March Madness predictions. The 10 p.m. ET game will air on ESPN.
Recent losses to Stanford and Arizona State will hurt a bit, but there is still a chance to put together some impressive wins with perhaps two games left against UCLA before the March Madness bracket is finalized.
When it comes time to make March Madness picks, the Wildcats figure to be flying a bit under the radar.
3. USC Trojans
- Record: 21-8 (13-5 Pac-12)
- NCAA NET Ranking: 44
- Remaining schedule: vs Arizona (Thursday) and vs Arizona State (Saturday)
If USC finds a way to take down visiting Arizona, perhaps there will be more chatter about the Pac-12 getting a third team into the NCAA tournament field. The March Madness expert picks could view the Trojans as a dangerous team if they make it into the field of 68.
Boogie Ellis has made strides in his second season at USC after transferring in from Memphis. He is averaging 23 points over his last four games. If USC finishes ahead of Arizona in the Pac-12, that would look good when it comes time for the March Madness bracket to be finalized.
USC leads the Pac-12 with a 17-12 record against the NCAA Basketball lines.
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4. Oregon Ducks
- Record: 16-13 (10-8 Pac-12)
- NCAA NET Ranking: 51
- Remaining schedule: vs California (Thursday) and vs Stanford (Saturday)
The games against Cal and Stanford don’t figure to help the Ducks’ NET ranking. Oregon could be considered a bubble team with a strong showing in the conference tournament.
N’Faly Dante is averaging 15 points and 14 rebounds over the last three games and more efforts like that will be needed in the coming games.
Recent losses to Washington and Washington State by a total of four points might have dashed the Ducks’ March Madness hopes.
5. Arizona State Sun Devils
- Record: 20-9 (11-7 Pac-12)
- NCAA NET Ranking: 63
- Remaining schedule: at UCLA (Thursday) and at Southern California (Saturday)
Arizona State is sitting in fourth place in the Pac-12 standings. However, ending the regular season with games at UCLA and USC will be challenging, to say the least.
Desmond Cambridge Jr. is coming off one of the most memorable shots of the college basketball season with a 60-foot buzzer-beater to defeat Arizona.
The Shot Heard Around the State❕
Dez wins it from half court 🤯 pic.twitter.com/GyiGFm4Rbk
— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) February 25, 2023
That came after a win over Utah. Still, with a NET ranking of 63, the Sun Devils are looking like a longshot to be in play for an at-large bid into the March Madness bracket.
6. Utah Utes
- Record: 17-13 (10-9 Pac-12)
- NCAA NET Ranking: 69
- Remaining schedule: at Colorado (Saturday)
Utah was looking like a contender heading in February. That all changed when they lost five of the seven games.
Branden Carlson has been one of the most consistent players in the Pac-12, but he needed more help.
The Utes will be avoiding UCLA if they reach the Pac-12 quarterfinals but could have to deal with Arizona. It is looking like the only path into the NCAA Tournament is winning the Pac-12 tournament.
7. Colorado Buffaloes
- Record: 15-15 (7-12 Pac-12)
- NCAA NET Ranking: 74
- Remaining schedule: vs Utah (Saturday)
Colorado made Arizona and UCLA work for recent wins, but the Buffaloes do take a three-game losing streak into the final game of the regular season.
KJ Simpson has seven straight games with more than 10 points. However, he has shot less than 50% from the field in each of his last 12 games.
Just 13 of Colorado’s games finished over the total so far this season.
8. Washington State Cougars
- Record: 15-15 (10-9 Pac-12)
- NCAA NET Ranking: 77
- Remaining schedule: at Washington (Thursday)
Washington State has won five games in a row heading into the showdown with rival Washington.
Mouhamed Gueye is averaging 18.2 points during the winning streak with four double-doubles during that stretch. That included a game with 18 points and 12 rebounds in an upset of Oregon.
The Cougars could be a dangerous team in the conference tournament.
9. Stanford Cardinal
- Record: 12-17 (6-12 Pac-12)
- NCAA NET Ranking: 106
- Remaining schedule: at Oregon State (Thursday) and at Oregon (Saturday)
There will be a national TV audience when Stanford heads to Oregon in the final game of the regular season.
Stanford is coming off a 12-point win over Washington with Spencer Jones leading the way with 21 points.
The Cardinal did sweep Oregon and Oregon State earlier in the season. However, those games were in Palo Alto so this will be a tougher task.
10. Washington Huskies
- Record: 16-14 (8-11 Pac-12)
- NCAA NET Ranking: 113
- Remaining schedule: vs Washington State (Thursday)
The regular season wraps up with a matchup with Washington State in a game airing on ESPN2.
Only one player has appeared in all 30 games this season and that speaks volumes about the type of season it has been. A bright spot has been Kentucky transfer Keion Brooks, who has scored in double figures in 14 of the last 15 games.
Washington seems destined to be in the 8-9 game in the Pac-12 tournament and that would mean a quarterfinal matchup with UCLA if the Huskies get through the opening-round game. Washington leads the Pac-12 with 17 of its games finishing over the Las Vegas odds total.
10. Oregon State Beavers
- Record: 10-19 (4-14 Pac-12)
- NCAA NET Ranking: 215
- Remaining schedule: vs Stanford (Thursday) and vs California (Saturday)
The Beavers have two winnable games as the regular season comes to an end.
The Beavers nearly upset rival Oregon the last time out and will look to take the momentum from that effort into the Stanford and Cal games.
Leading scorer Jordan Pope has been held under 10 points in two of his last three games.
12. California Bears
- Record: 3-26 (2-16 Pac-12)
- NCAA NET Ranking: 304
- Remaining schedule: at Oregon (Thursday) and at Oregon State (Saturday)
The Bears threw scares into Washington and Washington State before falling in both games to see their losing streak reach 13 games.
The Bears are 0-11 on the road so don’t expect much when they finish the regular season against the two Oregon schools as Cal appears headed to the No. 12 seed.
It hasn’t helped that two of Cal’s top three scorers combined to miss 36 games this season.
