We are at the point in the college basketball season where every games seems to take on a higher level of importance. Teams on the bubble want to try and win their way into the tournament, while the top-ranked teams want to avoid losses that will take them into March Madness with question marks over their ability to go deep.
Date: February 13th, 2015 9:00PM
Venue: Alaska Airlines Arena, Seattle, Washington
Spread: Arizona -8.5
Game Preview and Betting Analysis
One team that falls into the latter category are the Arizona Wildcats (20-3, 8-2). They are currently ranked #7 in the nation, but are coming off a loss last weekend that stings more than most. The fell 78-81 to their big rivals Arizona State, and are now left sharing the top spot in the Pac-12 with the Utah Utes. Teams will tell you that the best thing to do after a tough loss is get right back on the horse, but the Wildcats have not played since that defeat, and will have 6 days to stew over what went down. They can use that time to reflect and get angry, or they can spend those 6 days wondering of that loss is a sign of things to come. We will get a good idea of which way they are leaning when they head into the Alaska Airlines Arena to face the Washington Huskies on Friday night.
On paper, this is a game that the Wildcats should have no problem winning, but that’s what we all thought about their match-up with the Sun Devils. The difference here is that Washington (14-9, 3-8) is a team in total freefall, as they have now lost 5 games in a row. The problem for the Huskies during this stretch has been their seeming inability to play well on both sides of the court. When they roll offensively, they fall flat on defense, as witnessed in the 88-90 loss to Cal. In their last outing, they held Oregon State to 64 points, but were only able to tally 54 of their own on offense. They are going to have to find a way to deliver a complete performance if they hope to avoid a total blowout at the hands of Arizona.
Key Betting Trends
Washington is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games
Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington’s last 6 games
Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Arizona is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Arizona is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Arizona’s last 7 games
Arizona is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games on the road
Arizona State is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games
Consider This Before Placing Your Bet
I think that the Wildcats are a good enough team to shrug off the upset loss last weekend and get things back on track against a struggling Washington team. I expect this to be a comfortable win, with a double digit margin the most likely outcome.