Oregon vs Arizona: Odds, Picks, Predictions (2/2/23)

Oregon visits Arizona in a big Pac-12 clash. Oregon is coming off a comfortable win against Utah at home while Arizona beat Washington in a blowout on the road. This is an interesting matchup because the last time these two teams played Arizona lost in a blowout, so they want revenge. Let’s take a look at the odds and make some picks and predictions for this game!

Oregon vs. Arizona Odds

Arizona is an 8.5-point home favorite against Oregon, but there’s no money line listed just yet. The over/under is also at 151.5. Arizona being a favorite here makes sense because of how they’ve been playing lately and they’re playing at home too. The over/under also makes sense because every game Arizona plays in is very high-paced, so expect a lot of points. This line might move before tip-off too just because it seems a little high.

Oregon vs. Arizona Prediction & Pick

The pick: Arizona -8.5

Arizona is back to playing up to their potential. They swept the Washington schools and are still in contention for the Pac-12 Title.

Azuolas Tubelis is the main guy behind Arizona’s success this year. He leads the team in scoring and rebounding and is the runaway frontrunner for Pac-12 Player of the Year. He’s a huge difference maker for the Wildcats and why they can win this game. Oumar Ballo is next to him down low and is second in scoring, while also leading the Wildcats in blocks. He might be the most improved player in the country. Kerr Kriisa and Courtney Ramey are going to be the keys for Arizona to go far in March. They’ve been much better recently, but there’s been a consistency issue there at the guard positions most of the year. Kriisa leads the team in assists and Ramey leads in steals per game.

As a team, Arizona excels more on offense than on defense. They are top-15 in the country in points scored and they’re third in assists per game at 19. They are also 4th in rebounds at 41 per game.

On the other side, Oregon has been the epitome of inconsistency. Will Richardson is Oregon’s do-it-all point guard and leads the Ducks in points, assists, and steals per game. He’s been the most consistent player for Oregon. Jermaine Couisnard has been key for the Ducks lately and is second in scoring. N’Faly Dante is a beast down low and leads the team in rebounds per game. Quincy Guerrier has also stepped up too.

As a team, Oregon excels more on defense than on offense. They need to find more consistency on offense to get back on track.

Arizona is the play here because they got destroyed the last time these two teams played and it was a road game for them. It was also during a rut, and it seems like Arizona is past that now. Arizona should cover this game at home and get revenge on their worst loss this season.

Oregon vs. Arizona Key Matchups

Can N’Faly Dante matchup with Oumar Ballo? Can Courtney Ramey matchup with Jermaine Couisnard?

Oumar Ballo vs N’Faly Dante

Oumar Ballo has been great this year. He averages 16 points, 2 assists, and 9 rebounds per game for the season. He’ll be matched up against N’Faly Dante most of the game, who averages 13 points, 1 assist, and 8 rebounds per game for the season. This is a huge matchup in this game because Dante dominated Ballo the last time they played. Ballo is going to want to get redemption and this matchup is huge for that. Whoever can win this matchup is in the driver’s seat to win this game.

Jermaine Couisnard vs Courtney Ramey

Jermain Couisnard has only recently been put into the starting lineup due to injuries, but it’s paid off. He averages 14 points, 2 assists, and 4 rebounds per game for the season. He’ll be matched up against Courtney Ramey most of the game who averages 10 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds per game for the season. Couisnard was a big difference maker the first time these two teams played, and it’s a big matchup for Ramey. Ramey can play defense well, so this will be a big key matchup in deciding who wins this game.