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Arizona Wildcats vs. Oregon Ducks Gambling & NCAA Handicapping Prediction

Arizona vs Oregon CBB Picks

The Arizona Wildcats have been great throughout the entire 2013 NCAA season, but while they’ve already got the No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 locked up, a win over the Oregon Ducks would be big when it comes to postseason momentum. [ad-4468020]

No. 3 Arizona (28-2, 15-2 Pac-12) @ Oregon (21-8, 9-8 Pac-12)
Saturday, March 8 4:00 PM ET CBS @ Matthew Knight Arena
Spread: Arizona -3
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Oregon, unlike Arizona, has been a team full of streaks. After starting the year, 13-0, the team went on to lose five in a row, following that up with three losses in its next five outings. Luckily for the Ducks, they’ve caught fire again at the right time, winning six straight entering their season finale against the No. 3 Wildcats.

Arizona

Saturday’s matchup between Arizona and Oregon will be a classic battle of offense versus defense, with the Wildcats earning praise for the latter.

On the year, Arizona is allowing just 58.5 points per contest, which is good enough for sixth in the country. The team is also preventing its opponents from being efficient, as it gives up just 38.5 percent from the field—ninth in the nation—and 30.4 percent from the three-point line—26th.
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Against Oregon, a team that averages 82.9 points per outing—the eighth-best mark in the country—the Wildcats must focus on stopping Joseph Young. The junior guard is averaging 18.6 points per game on the year—nearly five points more per night than the next leading scorer on the roster—and he’s coming off of a 26-point outing against the UCLA Bruins.

Oregon’s Mike Moser will also be a point of emphasis for Arizona’s defense, as the big man recorded 22 points and 17 rebounds in that same win over UCLA.

Oregon

The Ducks have talent on their roster, as evidenced by their strong start to the year; however, at this point in the year with all they’ve been through, it’s all heart and momentum that will be the difference makers against Arizona.

The Ducks have worked their way back into tournament discussions with their recent string of victories, but finishing the year with as much national recognition as possible is going to be for them to end up on the right side of the bubble.

Needless to say, defeating the third-ranked team in the country would qualify as earning recognition. The last time the two met, Arizona snuck away with a two-point win. It was a low-scoring, grind-it-out type of game, which fits the Wildcats far more than the Ducks.

If Oregon wants to win this game, it must push the tempo. Drive and determination are one thing, but putting points on the board is ultimately what it comes down to. The perfect narrative for Oregon would be a desperate Ducks squad defeating the Wildcats when their guard is down.

Unfortunately, Arizona is too focused at this point, and nobody should be shocked if it walks away victorious in the final game of the year.

Prediction: Arizona 73 – Oregon 66

By Cappers Picks

Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"