Pac-12 This Week: Huge Clash in Tucson Leads Games To Bet
The week began with Utah edging host UCLA on a buzzer-beating basket by Brendan Carlson in a game when UCLA star freshman Sebastian Mack was ejected after playing less than 10 minutes. With Washington State moving into the Top 25 in the national polls, there will be a matchup of ranked teams involving a Pac-12 squad for the first time since Dec. 23 to ponder when making NCAA basketball predictions.
Thursday’s matchup between No. 21 Washington State and No. 4 Arizona is the game to keep an eye on when it comes to the NCAAB expert picks.
Arizona moved up one spot to No. 4 in The Associated Press poll and moved from sixth to fourth in the USA Today coaches poll. Washington State broke into the top 25 at No. 21 in the Associated Press poll and is 22nd in the USA Today coaches poll.
Wildcats are third in the NCAA NET rankings despite having a Quad 2 and a Quad 3 loss. The next Pac-12 team in the NCAA NET rankings is Washington State at No. 32 followed by Colorado at No. 41.
When looking at the college basketball futures odds, Arizona is tied for fourth with +1200 odds of winning the NCAAM championship. Utah is at +800 followed by Colorado and Oregon with +10000 odds to win March Madness.
Keep on reading for more on the games to watch for the remainder of this week’s Pac-12 schedule.
1. Washington State (20-6 SU, 14-12 ATS) at Arizona (20-5 SU, 17-8 ATS)
- Date/Time: Thursday, Feb. 22, 11 p.m. ET
- Washington State vs Arizona Live Stream: TBS.com
First place is on the line in this clash of ranked teams with Washington State a half-game behind Arizona in the Pac-12 standings.
Washington State pulled off one of the signature wins of the Pac-12 season with a 73-70 win at home last month when listed by the BetUS sportsbook as the 8½-point underdog against the Wildcats. Arizona had won six of the previous seven matchups with four of those wins by double digits.
The last five games between Arizona and Washington State finished under the total as neither team has hit the 75-point mark in those five contests.
The last time Washington State played in Tucson, the Cougars came away with the 13-point upset as Arizona was listed by the college basketball odds as a 12-point favorite.
Washington State has the longest active winning streak in the Pac-12 with seven wins in a row, one more than Arizona’s current streak. Freshman Myles Rice has scored in double figures in 12 of his last 13 games for the Cougars.
Arizona has put up 105, 99, and 105 points over its last three games. After scoring in double figures in four of his previous 11 games, sophomore Kylan Boswell has 42 points and seven 3-pointers over his last three contests.
Arizona is setting the pace in the Pac-12 with a 10-3 record against the spread at home. Washington State is 4-4 ATS in its eight road games.
2. Utah (16-10 SU, 12-14 ATS) at Colorado (17-9, 12-14 ATS)
- Date/Time: Saturday, Feb. 24, 9 p.m. ET
- Utah vs Colorado Live Stream: TBS.com
These teams have followed similar scripts with dominant play at home while struggling to win on the road. That could bode well for the Buffaloes in this matchup.
Six of the last seven games between the Utes and the Buffaloes have been decided by single digits with the winning team also covering in 14 of the last 15 meetings.
Utah looks to sweep a season series from Colorado for the first time since the 2016-17 season after posting a 73-68 win on Feb. 3 as the 3½-point favorite. It was the third straight Colorado-Utah matchup to land under the total.
Both teams are coming off wins with Utah getting 17 points from Brendan Carlson and Deivon Smith in a win over UCLA, while Colorado topped Southern California in overtime behind 30 points from KJ Simpson as the Buffaloes rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half.
Utah is only 2-6 against the NCAA basketball lines on the road at home with Colorado 9-5 ATS at home.
3. Southern California (10-16 SU, 11-15 ATS) at UCLA (14-12 SU, 12-12-2 ATS)
- Date/Time: Saturday, Feb. 24, 10 p.m. ET
- Southern California vs UCLA Live Stream: TBS.com
When the season began, USC and UCLA were second and third in the odds of winning the Pac-12 title. A recent surge has UCLA up to fourth in the Pac-12 standings. However, USC is only ahead of Oregon State as the Trojans have been one of the most disappointing teams in the country.
UCLA had won six games in a row before a one-point loss at home to Utah. The Bruins are looking for more from sophomore forward Adem Bona as he is averaging 10.8 points and 5 rebounds over his last five games. Mack looks to bounce back after being ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul in the loss to Utah.
This play is under review for a flagrant ruling pic.twitter.com/UmsSsS5etH
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 19, 2024
Boogie Ellis is coming off a season-high 30 points in an overtime loss to Colorado but the Trojans are 2-6 over their last eight games.
After a 65-50 win as the five-point road underdog on Jan. 27, UCLA is 4-1 in its last five meetings against USC. Eight of the last 10 games between the Trojans and the Bruins landed under the total.
This will be the final regular-season meeting between the teams as Pac-12 foes as both the Bruins and the Trojans head to the Big Ten next season.
UCLA is last in the Pac-12 with a 4-9 record against the spread at home. However, Utah has covered in just three of its nine road games during the 2023-24 season.
Bet $200 on College Basketball Games & Get a $450 Risk-Free Bonus on your first deposit!
Questions of the Day
Which Pac-12 team has had the most games go over the total?
USC has seen 17 games land over the total while California, Colorado, and Oregon State have all seen 16 games go over.
Who has the best odds of winning March Madness among Pac-12 teams?
Arizona was tied for second with +1000 championship odds when the season began and those odds have moved to +1200. That is still the best mark among Pac-12 teams.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
