Pac 12 Tourney – Beavers vs Wildcats CBB Handicapping Prediction
Oregon State (19-13) has played themselves onto the Big Dance bubble advancing to the Pac 12 semis dispatching conference champion Washington in their last game and to get to the all-important 20-win plateau they will have to beat an Arizona (22-10) team that beat them in OT in the regular season.
Venue/ Stadium: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Time/Date: 9 PM EST Friday, March 9, 2012
NCAA Odds From: Bovada
Moneyline: OFF
Spread (ATS): Wildcats -3
Over/Under: 147
Oregon State Beavers vs. Arizona Wildcats Preview
The Wildcats have 22 wins, but in a weak Pac 12 this season they may have to settle for a NIT bid if they lose this game.
In the conference quarterfinals Oregon State scored a big upset 86-84 upset over Washington and Arizona beat UCLA 66-58.
This season Oregon State is 14-13-1 ATS with an O/U record of 17-11 and Arizona is 17-14 ATS with an O/U record of 15-16.
Oregon State leading scorer Jared Cunningham (17.8 ppg) made a lay-up in the end of the game to beat Washington in the quarterfinals and 4 of 5 starters scored in double figures. In that game the Beavers did a great job of attacking the rim and getting to the charity stripe, but they only hit 17 of their 32 free throws.
The Beavers have the nation’s 10th highest scoring offense and they will be tested in this game by an Arizona defense that held UCLA to 39% shooting from the floor.[soliloquy id=”82219″]
It is good that the Wildcats played good D against UCLA, as they were ice cold shooting 34.9% from the floor and they also played a sloppy game committing 17 turnovers.
Solomon Hill and Jesse Perry combined for 41 points, but they scored most of their points from the free throw line. Much like the Beavers the Wildcats were solid getting to the line, but unlike OSU Arizona hit 31 of their 36 free throws.
In their OT loss to Arizona this season the Beavers shot under 40% from the floor and Cunningham was only 6/14 from the field. Also, in that game the Wildcats were white-hot shooting a 3-pt FG% of 54.5% and they especially have to keep Kyle Fogg from bombing away from deep in tonight’s game.
In some betting trends for this Pac 12 semifinals match up Oregon State is 7-0 ATS in their last 7 neutral site games, 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record, and they have an Over record of 15-7 in their last 22 games.
Arizona is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record, 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a S.U. win, and they have an Over record of 5-2 in their last 7 games.
Jason’s Pick: Zona was a little lucky to beat UCLA with how poorly they shot the ball, but they will not be as fortunate in this game. Oregon State has won 4 straight and they will win this game and cover the spread advancing to the conference tourney finals.