Settings
The Wildcats are riding heavy in the polls and they don't want AZ State to mess that up.

Betting on the Arizona College Hoops Duel

Written by on February 16, 2016

A funny thing happens when two bitter rivals go head to head. The team that should win handily often finds themselves pulled into a dogfight that they are not properly prepare for, and upsets can happen. There is a chance that may happen on Wednesday when the Arizona State Sun Devils face the Arizona Wildcats at the McKale Center in Tucson. The full odds for this game will go live on Wednesday morning, so be sure to check back in to the MyBookie.ag NCAA basketball betting page for updates.

How to bet Arizona State Sun Devils Vs Arizona Wildcats Game and TV Info

When: Wednesday, February 17, 9 PM EST Where: McKale Center, Tucson, Arizona TV: ESPN Radio: KHYT 107,5 Stream Option: WatchESPN
The #12 ranked Wildcats already have a win over their state rivals this season, and would be expected to be able to pull off the double here. The Sun Devils were able to keep it pretty close last time out, and will be looking to make things as difficult as possible for Arizona in this one.

Why bet on the Arizona State Sun Devils

The Sun Devils (14-12, 4-9) will be looking to play the role of the spoiler in this game, as they would love nothing more than to bump the Wildcats off the top spot in the PAC-12. Their overall record may suggest that they don’t really have what it takes to make that happen, but try telling that to USC. Arizona State sprung the surprise on the Trojans last week with a 74-67 win on home court, proving that they can take it to the top teams when duty calls. They were able to hang with the Wildcats for a large portion of the game when they met earlier this season, but they faltered coming down the stretch in that one, eventually losing 94-82. The Sun Devils are averaging 75.5 PPG, and are giving up 73.1 PPG.

Why bet on the Arizona Wildcats

The tail end of January did not go well for the Wildcats (21-5, 9-4), as they ended up losing back to back games at that time. They have recovered very nicely, though, and have reeled off 5 straight wins from that point forward. The Wildcats have only dropped a single game at home this season, and that came against a ranked Oregon team a couple of weeks back. They have since won 3 straight games at home, and that included a win over a ranked USC Trojan team in their last game. The Wildcats play a bit of a wide open style that could turn this game into a similar type of shootout that they had the last time they faced the Sun Devils. If that happens, it actually plays in their favor, as they are a more gifted team on offense than Arizona State. The Wildcats are averaging 81.4 PPG, and are giving up 68.3 PPG.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

The margin of victory for the Wildcats was 8 the last time they played Arizona State, but I think it will go a little higher this time around. This is a team in very good form at the moment, and they should be too much for the Sun Devils to handle. Arizona State Sun Devils 66 Arizona Wildcats 79