Arizona vs Washington State: Odds, Picks, Predictions (1/26/23)

Arizona visits Washington State in a Pac-12 clash. Arizona is coming off a hard fought win against UCLA at home, while Washington State is coming off a close loss to Colorado on the road. This should be an interesting matchup because Arizona wants revenge for losing to Washington State earlier this year. Let’s take a look at the odds and make some picks and predictions for this game!

Arizona vs. Washington State Odds

Arizona is a 4-point road favorite against Washington State but there’s no money line odds listed just yet. The over/under is also not listed just yet. Arizona being favored makes sense because they are the better team and there’s a revenge factor. The over/under should be pretty high too because when teams play Arizona they usually get sucked into their tempo and the games end up being high-scoring.

Arizona vs. Washington State Prediction & Pick

The pick: Arizona -4

Arizona’s recovered well after the small bump in the road they encountered two weeks ago. Azuolas Tubelis is the key for Arizona. He’s a potential All-American this year and leads the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding. Oumar Ballo has fit in well as the center next to Tubelis and has made the two of them the best big man combination in college basketball. He leads the team in blocks this year too. Kerr Kriisa and Courtney Ramey have stepped up more recently too and have really played well in the backcourt for the Wildcats.

As a team, Arizona excels more on offense than on defense. They are top five in assists per game at 19, and are 4th in rebounding at 41 per game.

On the other side, Washington State’s been a bit of a mess and has struggled this season. TJ Bamba is a great player for the Cougars and leads the team in scoring. Mouhamed Gueye is also very good and caused issues for Oumar Ballo the last time they played in Tucson. He also leads the team in rebounds and blocks per game. Jabe Mullins and Justin Powell can also be productive on the wing, with Powell leading the team in assists and steals per game.

As a team, Washington State excels more on offense than on defense. They have been able to stifle teams, but can’t find consistent offense.

Arizona is the better play here. They looked awful in this first matchup, but they seemed to have righted the ship. Arizona should cover here and potentially pretty easily.

Arizona vs. Washington State Key Matchups

Can Mouhamed Gueye matchup with Oumar Ballo? Can Kerr Kriisa matchup with TJ Bamba?

Oumar Ballo vs Mouhamed Gueye

Oumar Ballo has played much better recently than he was. He averages 16 points, 1 assist, and 9 rebounds per game for the season. He’ll be matched up with Mouhamed Gueye most of the game, who averages 13 points, 2 assists, and 8 rebounds per game for the season. This is a big matchup because Gueye gave Ballo problems last time they played. Ballo seems to have rebounded from the funk he was in and this is a pivotal matchup for him. Whoever can get the advantage here has a much better chance of winning the game because of how important each team is.

TJ Bamba vs Kerr Kriisa

TJ Bamba has been a big bright spot for Washington State this year. He averages 15 points, 2 assists, and 4 rebounds per game for the season. He’ll be matched up with Kerr Kriisa for most of the game, who averages 11 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds per game for the season. This is a big matchup because Bamba is the Cougars’ best player. Kriisa is a good player, but this is a big matchup because he’s not the best on defense. Expect this matchup to play a huge part in who wins because these two are the engines for their teams and are the players that can get their teams going as the point guards.