— Thursday, February 10th Arizona Wildcats @ Washington State Cougars
The No. 4 Arizona Wildcats (20-2, 10-1) lead the Pac-12 by two games and have a chance to move up in the rankings with a clean weekend in Washington. First up for them are the pesky Washington State Cougars (14-7, 7-3), who are tied for second in the loss column in the conference with UCLA and Oregon. Tipoff at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Washington, is set for 9:00 p.m. ET on FS1.
Last year these teams played twice, with Arizona winning by 16 at home and by four in overtime on the road. The Cougars haven’t knocked off the Wildcats since 2019, and Arizona is 17-1 over the last 18. Arizona leads the all-time series 67-17 with a 31-8 record in Pullman, where they haven’t lost since 2010.
Wildcats Tough to Stop
The Wildcats are 13-8-1 ATS, and the over is 11-11 in their 22 games this season. They are 8-2 outside of Arizona and 5-2 in true road games. Their road losses both came to ranked teams, Tennessee and UCLA.
Arizona ranks third in the nation in scoring at 85.1 ppg, and they lead the nation in rebounding with 43.8 per game. The Wildcats ranks 17th in the nation in FG% (48.4) but 194th in 3-Point% (33.5). Defensively they hold teams to 32.1% from deep and rank second in the nation allowing just 37% shooting overall.
In the 91-79 win at Arizona State on Monday, Azuolas Tubelis led the way with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Benedict Mathurin had 18 points, while Pelle Larsson came off the bench to add 14. Overall the Wildcats put six in double figures while shooting 57% from the floor.
Mathurin has scored in double figures in nearly every game this season and leads the team in scoring at 16.5 ppg. Azuolas Tubelis is next at 14.6 ppg to go with 6.5 rpg, and Christian Koloko averages 12.4 ppg and 7.3 rpg. Kriisa averages 10.6 ppg and leads the Wildcats with 52 3-pointers.
Cougars Get Defensive
The Cougars are 10-11 ATS this season, and the under is 13-7-1 in their 21 games. They are 9-5 at home, including a 3-2 mark in conference games. They are 0-1 against ranked teams with a home loss to then No. 20 USC back in early December.
WSU ranks 128th in the nation in scoring at 73.1 ppg and the average 37.5 rpg. They shoot 42.6% from the floor and 34.6% from the 3-point range. The Defense has carried the Cougars as they rank in the top 30 in PPG allowed (62.2), FG% (39.4), and 3pt% (29.1).
Michael Flowers leads the team in scoring at 13.7 ppg while shooting 37.7% from 3-point range. Tyrell Roberts (11.1) and Noah Williams (10.5) are also in double figures scoring. Efe Abogidi leads the Cougars with 5.8 rpg, and WSU will have a battle on the boards against the bigger Wildcats.
WSU hasn’t allowed more than 70 points in a game since Colorado scored 83 on January 6. Last time out, they won at California 68-64, with Flowers scoring 21 points. Abogidi had a 17-point/11-rebound double-double against the Bears.
Betting Analysis
- Arizona Wildcats -6.5 (-115)
- Washington State Cougars (-105)
- Total: 143.5. Over -110. Under -110
Arizona’s inside game will be the key here as they own the board and get easy, high-percentage shots. Washington State will be over-matched size-wise, but their perimeter defense, limiting Arizona’s outside shot, can be the difference. In the end, though, the Wildcats have too much firepower and experience to lose this game.
Betting Pick: Arizona -6.5 (-110)
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