College Basketball Pac-12 Conference Roundup

Arizona (+700) has the third-best odds to win the national championship according to the March Madness odds. UCLA (+2300) and USC (+8500) are other top contenders in the Pac-12.

Game of the Week

UCLA Bruins vs Oregon Ducks

• Date, time, TV: Thursday, February 24, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

UCLA seems to have ironed out the issues that led to the Bruins dropping three of four games. The Bruins have won their last three games by 20, 26 and 14 points and covered in each. Three of UCLA’s last four games finished under the total.

Oregon was putting pretty on UCLA and USC before dropping its last two games although the most recent game was a near upset of first-place Arizona with the Ducks listed by the Las Vegas odds as 12½-point underdogs on the road.

It was the first time in six games that Oregon covered against the spread.

Oregon (17-10, 10-6) has won three consecutive games against UCLA and covered in each of them including an 84-81 victory on January 13 as a 9½-point underdog on the road. Each of the last seven games in the series has finished over the total. Nine of the last 10 games between the Ducks and the Bruins have been decided by single digits.

UCLA was listed as a No. 4 seed in the March Madness bracket when the NCAA selection committee announced the top 16 seeds at the present time.

Jules Bernard and Myles Johnson are the only players to appear in all 25 games for UCLA (20-5, 12-4). Leading scorer Johnny Juzang has struggled with his shot in recent games but he has scored in double figures in 11 straight contests with six 20-point games. Oregon’s Will Richardson has scored more than 20 points five times in his last 11 outings.

Here’s a look at the upcoming games in the Pac-12 with some information for those who bet online.

Washington Huskies vs Washington State Cougars

• Date, time, TV: Wednesday, February 23, 11 p.m. ET, ESPNU

Washington snapped a three-game losing streak to rival Washington State with a 65-63 win in 2021 as a six-point underdog on the road.

Washington State won the previous three matchups including two victories by at least 12 points. The visiting team has won the last three games in the series while the Cougars had covered against the college basketball spreads in four straight contests before the most recent meeting.

Washington (13-12, 8-7) has dropped its last three games by an average of 20 points. Six of the Huskies’ last seven games went under the total.

Washington State (14-12, 7-8) has lost five consecutive games to drop to eighth in the Pac-12 standings. The Cougars have failed to cover in four of its last six games while four of the Cougars’ last five games have finished under the total.

Washington’s Terrell Brown Jr., the leading scorer in the Pac-12, has two 30-point games and five 20-point efforts in his last eight contests.

Washington State’s top scorer Michael Flowers has just 15 points on 5 of 19 shooting in his last two games.

Arizona State Sun Devils vs Colorado Buffaloes

• Date, time, TV: Thursday, February 24, 9:00 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

The matchup features a pair of teams making a late charge up the Pac-12 standings.

Colorado has won its last five games, the second-longest active streak in the conference behind only’s Arizona’s eight straight victories. the Buffaloes are 4-0-1 against the spread in those contests with four of those games finishing over the total.

Arizona State (10-16, 6-10) won three straight games and covered in each of them before falling at UCLA on Monday. Five of the Sun Devils’ last six games have been decided by more than 10 points. The Sun Devils are only 3-7 in true road games this season.

Colorado (18-9, 10-7) has won its last five matchups with Arizona State including a 75-57 win as a one-point road favorite according to the Las Vegas odds on January 15. The Buffaloes lead the Pac-12 with 413 made free throws and a 36.3% mark from 3-point range.

Despite some strong play recently, Arizona State is still last in the Pac-12 in field-goal percentage and 3-point percentage.

Arizona Wildcats vs Utah Utes

• Date, time, TV: Thursday, February 24, 11:00 p.m. ET, FS1

Arizona has won eight straight games to open a 2½-game lead in the Pac-12 standings. However, the Wildcats are just 3-5-1 against the spread in their last nine contests.

Utah has won two games in a row after dropping 12 of the previous 13 matchups. The Utes are 3-1-1 against the spread in their last five games while four of the last six games have gone over the total.

Arizona (24-2, 14-1) has won 18 of the last 21 matchups with Utah but the Utes have taken the last two games played on their home court. Utah (11-16, 4-13) has covered in five of the last six games in the series with five of the last seven games going over the total.

According to the March Madness predictions, only Gonzaga has been odds than Arizona (+150) to reach the Final Four. UCLA (+365) is also in the top 10.

Utah is second in the conference with 208 made 3-pointers while Arizona leads in points, rebounds, assists and blocked shots.

Southern California Trojans vs Oregon State Beavers

• Date, time, TV: Thursday, February 24, 11:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Southern California has won four games in a row to move into a tie for second place in the Pac-12. The Trojans have failed to cover in three of those contests.

Oregon State has dropped 12 games in a row and is 0-9-1 against the spread in the last 10.

USC has won three of the last four meetings with Oregon State including a 10-point home win on January 13. However, the Trojans (23-4, 12-4) have failed to cover in four of the last six games against the Beavers.

Oregon State (3-22, 1-14) has won two of the last three games when USC comes to Corvallis and has covered in four of the last six home matchups with USC.

No conference team has taken more shots than USC while Oregon State puts up 5.3 fewer shots per game than the Trojans.