The Washington State Cougars take on the Oregon State Beavers. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Washington State Oregon State prediction and pick. Find how to watch Washington State Oregon State.

The Washington State Cougars are one of the big stories right now in Pac-12 basketball. Wazzu has stacked a lot of good wins in the conference to offset a not-very-good showing in the nonconference portion of the season. This team struggled for much of November and December, but the Cougars have come alive over the past five weeks. With wins over Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Washington, and Stanford, Washington State has beaten some NCAA Tournament-quality teams (Arizona, Utah) and has collected some road wins as well (Washington, Stanford). The Cougars are rising on the bubble and have a legitimate chance to make the NCAA Tournament. If Washington State can make the NCAAs, the Cougars will go to the Big Dance for the first time since 2008. Washington State has made the NCAA Tournament just six times in its history, only twice in the past 30 years. Making March Madness would be an extraordinary accomplishment for this team and head coach Kyle Smith.

Washington State has to win games such as this one to make sure it goes to the Big Dance. A loss to Oregon State is precisely the kind of bad loss which severely harms a team's overall bubble outlook. Winning this game doesn't improve WSU's position, but losing definitely would worsen that position by several degrees. The margins are small and Wazzu cannot afford to take a tumble of several positions on the NCAA Tournament seed list.

Here are the Washington State-Oregon State College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: Washington State-Oregon State Odds

Washington State Cougars: -8.5 (-120)

Oregon State Beavers: +8.5 (-102)

Over: 135.5 (-110)

Under: 135.5 (-110)

How To Watch Washington State vs Oregon State

Time: 10:00 pm ET / 7:00 pm PT

TV: Pac-12 Network

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Washington State Could Cover the Spread

The Cougars are thriving. They came from behind to beat Washington on the road last week. Washington State has been a good home-court team, but WSU is now adding some road Pac-12 wins to the ledger sheet as well. Kyle Smith has been one of the two best coaches in Pac-12 men's basketball this season. Craig Smith of Utah is the other. Kyle Smith has taken this Cougar roster farther than many people ever thought he could. He lost D.J. Rodman in the transfer portal this past offseason but has not missed a beat in assembling this 2024 group. Smith's player development work has been outstanding. WSU has better, more skilled players than everyone on Oregon State with the exception of Beaver sharpshooter Jordan Pope. As long as Washington State contains Pope, it should win comfortably enough to cover the spread.

Why Oregon State Could Cover the Spread

The Beavers are not a good team overall, but they defeated Arizona at home. They defeated USC by double digits. They beat Arizona State by a double-digit margin as well. Gill Coliseum is not a very intimidating venue, and yet the Beavers have been able to deliver some very impressive performances in their own building this season. They are getting 8.5 points. They want to play spoiler against Washington State, ruining their Pacific Northwest rival's NCAA tourney chances. Washington State might win outright, but Oregon State usually puts up a good fight at home, close enough to cover.

Final Washington State-Oregon State Prediction & Pick

This is a game Wazzu probably wins, but the spread seems large. Take Oregon State.

Final Washington State-Oregon State Prediction & Pick: Oregon State +8.5