Subscribe
Follow Us
The Arizona Wildcats take on the Washington State Cougars. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Arizona Washington State prediction and pick. Find how to watch Arizona Washington State.
The Washington State Cougars are 11-5. The Arizona Wildcats are 12-3. If you were to look at those two records, you would do the math and see that Arizona is 1.5 games better than Washington State overall: one more win, two fewer losses. If you didn't know anything else about these teams, you would be tempted to conclude there isn't a huge gap between them. However, when you then study their schedules, you realize there is indeed a significant gulf separating the Cougars and Wildcats.
Arizona has played one of the toughest schedules in the country, taking on all comers from all corners of the country. Arizona has played Florida Atlantic, one of the Final Four teams from last season. The Wildcats have tested themselves against Purdue, Michigan State, Duke, Wisconsin, and other top teams. Washington State hasn't played anything close to that kind of schedule in terms of the overall degree of difficulty. Mississippi State might be the best team WSU played before entering its Pac-12 schedule. Washington State does not have an NCAA Tournament-quality resume despite its 11 wins on the season. Beating Arizona might be a requirement (not a luxury) for the Cougars if they want to have any chance of playing in March Madness.
Here are the Arizona-Washington State College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Arizona-Washington State Odds
Arizona Wildcats: -8.5 (-112)
Washington State Cougars: +8.5 (-108)
Over: 153.5 (-110)
Under: 153.5 (-110)
How To Watch Arizona vs Washington State
Time: 6:00 pm ET / 3:00 pm PT
TV: Pac-12 Network
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Arizona Could Cover the Spread
The Wildcats are a lot better than Washington State. They're a lot better than any team in the Pac-12 Conference. They did play a horrible game against Stanford, but that can reasonably be seen as an aberration. Their other two losses are to Purdue and Florida Atlantic, two legitimate Final Four contenders. They have been very, very good this season, and are likely to get a high seed (top three, probably top two) for the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
One of the big reasons Arizona is doing well is that Caleb Love, who transferred from North Carolina and was a very erratic player with the Tar Heels, has adjusted well in coach Tommy Lloyd's system. Love is comfortable and productive. That one reality makes Arizona a team with a high ceiling and national championship potential.
Washington State has very few wins against good teams. It lost its game to Mississippi State, and it doesn't have wins over proven teams the way Arizona does. The gap between these two teams will emerge over 40 minutes on Saturday.
Why Washington State Could Cover the Spread
The Cougars gave Arizona problems last season. While it is true that the rosters are different this season, it remains that Washington State is a thorny, tricky team to play against in Pullman. The Cougars are coming off a road win over Bronny James, Kobe Johnson, and the rest of the USC Trojans. They have won 11 games this season, so they're not a tomato can. They know this game is huge for their season, so they will give Arizona everything they have. They might not win outright, but 8.5 points is a fair amount of points. WSU could lose by eight and still cover.
Final Arizona-Washington State Prediction & Pick
Arizona probably wins, but the spread is really hard to assess, given how big this game is for WSU. Stay away and wait for a live play.
Final Arizona-Washington State Prediction & Pick: Washington State +8.5
