The Washington Huskies take on the Arizona Wildcats. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Washington Arizona prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Washington Arizona.
The college basketball season has taken some odd twists and turns, and the Washington Huskies are emblematic of those abrupt changes to the flow of a year. The Huskies beat Saint Mary's in a neutral-site game. They have looked legitimately good at times. They controlled the Colorado Buffaloes (a team which easily defeated Tennessee in Nashville; the Vols are a top-10 team at the moment). They have shown what they are capable of becoming. However, that same team failed to show up against UCLA this past weekend, getting crushed by the Bruins. The Huskies also lost by 23 to an Auburn team which just lost to Georgia. Washington has been all over the place this season. The Huskies often play good ball, mediocre ball, and noticeably bad basketball in the same game. They change personalities every seven to 10 minutes, and it has been hard for coach Mike Hopkins to get his team to be steady and reliable. Washington is 9-6 through 15 games, but is on a three-game losing streak (Auburn, USC, UCLA). The Huskies lost all three of those games at home, so now they have to brace for the difficulty of a Pac-12 road trip and this journey to Tucson's McKale Center.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Washington-Arizona College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Washington-Arizona Odds
Washington Huskies: +18.5 (-105)
Arizona Wildcats: -18.5 (-115)
Over: 154.5 (-110)
Under: 154.5 (-110)
How To Watch Washington vs. Arizona
TV: Fox Sports 1
Stream: Fox Sports app
Time: 11:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. PT
*Watch Washington-Arizona LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Washington Could Cover the Spread
The Huskies can be really good. They led USC by three points midway through the second half. They answered an early run from Auburn and were competitive with the Tigers late in the first half of that game. They have struggled to play 40 complete minutes, but they can play 18 to 20 good minutes. If Washington is capable of playing one good half in each game it plays, it can certainly improve and ultimately play two strong halves. At the very least, Washington is capable of playing 30 really good minutes. If it can avoid getting completely eviscerated in the bad 10 minutes which almost invariably emerge in every game this season, the Huskies should be able to cover the spread against an Arizona team which has not regularly covered big home spreads this season. Arizona did not cover a huge home spread against California in December. It did not cover as a 27.5-point favorite over Utah Tech. It did not cover as a 28-point favorite against Southern. There is ample reason to take Washington plus the points.
Why Arizona Could Cover the Spread
The Wildcats have beaten Tennessee and Indiana in the past month. If there were any worries that their one loss — a 15-point defeat suffered in Salt Lake City against the Utah Utes — was a sign of more substantial and profound structural weaknesses, they have put those concerns to bed. Arizona is back on track, looking like the Pac-12 favorite and a very possible No. 1 seed for the 2023 NCAA Tournament. With Gonzaga struggling, Arizona and UCLA are the clear co-favorites for No. 1 seeds from the Western part of the United States. Arizona has great inside-outside balance, and the genius of coach Tommy Lloyd has been able to get his teams to play at a fast pace while getting big men to run the floor and not get tired (at least not to the point that they are a drag on the offense and the team in general). Washington has lost by 13 or more points in each of its last three games, all at home. The Huskies are not in position to mount a strong defense against Arizona.
Final Washington-Arizona Prediction & Pick
Arizona is playing a lot better, but as we are seeing, conference games tend to get a little tighter than the raw merits of the teams might suggest. Washington won't play a great game, but it will fight hard, and Arizona won't be able to cruise for all 40 minutes. It will win by 15, which means UW will cover.
Final Washington-Arizona Prediction & Pick: Washington +18.5
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