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The Arizona Wildcats take on the Indiana Hoosiers in Las Vegas. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Arizona Indiana prediction and pick.
The Arizona Wildcats and Indiana Hoosiers have shown how good they can be, and how bad they can be when the wheels fall off. That shapes the backdrop to this matchup in Las Vegas.
Arizona had a clunker against Utah just over a week ago. The Wildcats were completely ambushed in Salt Lake City, losing 81-66 to the Utes. Arizona fell behind early and stayed behind. Except for a few very brief flurries in 90- or 120-second bursts, the Wildcats were completely outworked by Utah. They didn't hit 3-pointers and settled for jumpers. They were outfought and did not get much of anything from their backcourt. The absence of Bennedict Mathurin — who is now in the NBA — really showed up for Arizona, which started the season well but ran into an opponent which was able to take away its perimeter game.
Arizona did have a very good season up to that point, however. The Wildcats won the Maui Invitational by beating San Diego State and Creighton. Oumar Ballo has taken the baton from Christian Koloko, giving Arizona the agile paint presence to provide defense, rebounding, and a two-way game to supplement Azuolas Tubelis and the other returning players on this roster. Ballo and Tubelis against Indiana big man Trayce Jackson-Davis will provide one of the main positional matchups to watch this season.
Indiana had its clunker last week as well, falling to Rutgers 63-48. The Hoosiers hit just 17 shots in this game, and other than Miller Kopp and Trayce Jackson-Davis (who combined to make 13 field goals), the Hoosiers' lineup hit just four field goals against the Scarlet Knights. It's very clear what Indiana needs to work on: The supporting cast has to help TJD, and more broadly, Indiana needs to have four competent scorers so that the defense can't just sag on Jackson-Davis and take him away.
Indiana had that one bad game versus Rutgers, but the Hoosiers bounced back from that loss with a strong win over Nebraska this past week. Indiana has also beaten Xavier on the road and North Carolina at home. Coach Mike Woodson has been able to get his team to play timely defense this season. Indiana, with TJD as its main cog, has a roster which is capable of competing for the Big Ten championship. A win here over Arizona would dramatically improve Indiana's seeding for the NCAA Tournament, stamping the Hoosiers as a legitimate Final Four contender one month into the season.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Arizona-Indiana College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Arizona-Indiana Odds
Arizona Wildcats: -1.5 (-110)
Indiana Hoosiers: +1.5 (-110)
Over: 157.5 (-114)
Under: 157.5 (-106)
Why Arizona Could Cover the Spread
This team is tested. The Maui championship was a very positive experience for this team, and the Utah loss was a wakeup call for this group, which should be able to run the floor and get opportunities in transition. Arizona is faster than Indiana, and playing in Las Vegas makes this a semi-home game for the Wildcats, who have a lot of alumni in Vegas and surrounding cities in Arizona and Southern California.
Why Indiana Could Cover the Spread
The Hoosiers will play good defense. They have done this consistently. If Utah could bottle up Arizona's offense, Indiana can too.
Final Arizona-Indiana Prediction & Pick
Indiana will put up a fight, but playing in Las Vegas is a real advantage for Arizona here. Take the Cats.
Final Arizona-Indiana Prediction & Pick: Arizona -1.5
