A team from the states of Oregon or Arizona has taken home Pac-12 tournament bragging rights each of the last five seasons. Arizona sealed the deal in both 2017 and 2018, and online sportsbooks currently have Tommy Lloyd’s Wildcats installed favorites to cut down the nets in this year’s edition of the tourney. With Zona cruising to the regular season title, it only makes perfect sense to see them perched atop the odds to win this tourney. But with a No. 1 seed likely already secured, just how determined will the Wildcats be in Sin City? Evidenced by being the favorite I’ve hitched my wagon to, I think they’ll be determined. Still, there are some really good teams littered throughout the Pac-12. Some have already locked up an at-large invite to the Big Dance, while others need to win to get in. Either way, it should create a dramatic event for CBB bettors to take in through Saturday night. Here are my favorite, underdog and longshot selections to make some noise over the next week!
The Pac-12 Tournament will be held at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, NV beginning Wednesday, March 9, 2022. BookMaker.eu will have NCAA basketball odds available for every game until the nets are cut down.
Pac-12 Tournament Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arizona -120
UCLA +160
USC +1000
Oregon +1500
Washington State +3000
Colorado +4000
Arizona State +5000
Washington/Stanford +20000
Utah +25000
Oregon State/Cal +50000
Favorite to Bet: Arizona Wildcats -120
The Wildcats are far and away the best team the Pac-12 currently has to offer regardless of linemakers giving Mick Cronin and the UCLA Bruins some mad respect. I guess they deserve it after last year’s run to the Final Four, but the team is banged up with Johnny Juzang nowhere close to being up to full strength. As it is, Arizona beasted its way to the top overall seed by way of winning 28 overall games and winning 18 of 20 played in-conference. The only two defeats in Pac-12 play came on the road in Colorado and against the Bruins. They would later avenge that defeat to UCLA by scoring the 10-point win and cover back in the comforts of their own gym. Arizona is a powerhouse that bombards its opposition with a fast-paced (No. 7) and efficient offensive attack (No. 8). It then flusters all that stands in its way at the other end of the court by playing lockdown defense (No. 14). There literally isn’t a single player opposing defenses can look to take out of a game with four players averaging double-digits with Bennedict Mathurin’s 17.3 point per game average leading the charge. Having swept most of the teams in its side of the bracket, things are likely to only get hairy in the semis should it run into Oregon or Colorado. With USC and UCLA also likely on a collision course, the biggest road block is likely to come in the finals. This is the best team in the conference by a country mile in my opinion. However, it’s yet to compete in this type of tournament setting with one another. Keep that in mind.
Underdog to Bet: USC Trojans +1000
Very quietly, Andy Enfield’s troops won 25 total games and went 14-6 SU in conference play. That being said, it was a sobering end to the season after dropping back-to-back games against Arizona at home and UCLA on the road. Is that really where the Trojans stand? Enough in the tank to beat lesser tiered opposition but in a different zip code when it comes to the best of the best? At a 10-1 return on investment, I’m willing to pony up a few shekels to see if that truly is the case. The trio of Drew Peterson (12.5 PPG), Isaiah Mobley (14.6 PPG) and Boogie Ellis (12.2 PPG) is one of the best in the country. Chevez Goodwin has also amped his game and gained valuable experience on last year’s surprising team. All the talk in conference is about what UCLA did last season, and what Arizona might do over the next month. USC is the black sheep. Nobody gives them a chance of making noise. I like their draw. They swept Utah and beat Washington in the lone meeting. A third matchup with UCLA would decide the season’s overall victor after earning a split. Should they get by the Bruins, you know darn well the Trojans will be amped for a third crack at Zona after taking them to the wire in Tucson before shockingly getting their doors blown off at home in the rematch. If Mobley flips the HAM switch, USC will be dangerous!
Longshot to Bet: Arizona State Sun Devils +5000
The top of the Pac-12 is pretty dominant. That wasn’t the case last season evidenced by the No. 3 Colorado Buffaloes squaring off against the No. 5 Oregon State Beavers in the tourney title game. Sorry kiddos, but there won’t be a surprising team like the Beavers proved to be last year. As such, you’re likely better off taking a Bic to whatever funds you want to throw on longshots to win this tournament. But since this piece calls for it, I’ll take a roll of the dice with Bobby Hurley’s Sun Devils. It’s taken quite some time, but the Sun Devils finally look to be coming into their own having rattled off wins in seven of their final eight games and covering the closing basketball betting lines seven times. That being said, none of those wins were accrued against the league-elite, and the lone defeat just so happened to come in the form of a non-covering 66-52 loss to UCLA. But with a multitude of depth and six players logging double-digits in scoring, anything can happen. For a sick run to the title be in the cards, Jalen Graham will need to continue building upon his end of season ascension. In other words, the kid needs to dominate!
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