Stanford Faces Tall Task vs. No. 3 Arizona
Visiting Wildcats Lone Unbeaten Team in Pac-12 Play
The Stanford Cardinal have notched some solid wins, beating USC, Oregon, Wyoming and Liberty. However, they have also lost to Washington, Santa Clara, and Colorado, in addition to two other losses which limit their ceiling.
If they want to get into the NCAA Tournament, the Cardinal need high-end wins on the resume. Enter No. 3 Arizona, with a 14-1 record. Stanford can change its season if it can knock off the visiting Wildcats.
Let’s take a closer look at the NCAA odds and see which team is the best bet in the sportsbook.
- Game: Arizona (14-1) at Stanford (10-5)
- Location: Maples Pavilion – Palo Alto, CA
- Day/Time: Thursday, 11 p.m. ET
- Television: ESPNU
Arizona Wildcats at Stanford Cardinal
No. 3 Team Faces Huge Road Test
The Arizona Wildcats have lost only once, a road game at Tennessee. The Wildcats have been one of the pleasant surprises of this college basketball season, with first-year coach Tommy Lloyd making a distinctly positive impression.
Lloyd was hired from Gonzaga, where he was Mark Few’s trusted assistant for 20 years. Arizona has reinvented itself with an up-tempo, full-court style and a lethal transition game that has buried many of the Wildcats’ opponents this season.
Just how good is Arizona, though, despite the 14-1 record? It’s hard to know.
Arizona crushed Michigan earlier in the season, and the Wolverines were a preseason Final Four favorite. However, Michigan has turned out to be relatively mediocre.
Michigan is a bubble team with no sure NCAA Tournament berth. Arizona’s win over the Wolverines does not possess nearly as much value as people thought.
Arizona’s road win at Illinois looks really good after Illinois has raced to a 6-1 record in seven Big Ten Conference games, but that’s one of the few Arizona wins that carries a lot of weight on the resume.
Most of the other wins aren’t very substantial, and that’s why it’s hard to measure the full quality of this team. If Arizona can go on the road and start collecting Pac-12 wins, the Wildcats will grow in stature.
Moreover, Arizona faces UCLA next week in a mammoth game. Building confidence heading into the UCLA contest is a big key for the Wildcats.
Big Opportunity for Stanford
Stanford’s wins over Wyoming, Liberty, and Oregon did not look as great at the time, but they look a lot better now. Wyoming has beaten Utah State and Nevada on the road.
Liberty has won a lot in recent weeks. Oregon just swept UCLA and USC on the road. All of those wins have grown in quality, which gives Stanford a realistic chance of making the NCAA Tournament.
However, Stanford lost to Washington and has also fallen to Santa Clara and Colorado. Those losses will definitely hurt the Cardinal, so they have to compensate for those slip-ups.
Beating the No. 3 team in the country, would certainly do the trick. Stanford shot 3-pointers well (over 40 percent) in its upset of USC last week.
The Cardinal need to be able to hit at a high percentage against Arizona to slow down the Wildcats. Will Stanford respond to this high-pressure situation?
Make no mistake about it: The Cardinal badly need this win and will have to beat Arizona or UCLA later this season if it wants to be a threat for March Madness odds.
Given that Stanford has not made the NCAAs in several years, it’s wise to doubt the Cardinal and trust an Arizona team if you bet online. The Wildcats have scored some big wins away from home.
