The lone ranked team in action around college basketball on Thursday is No. 11 Arizona as the Wildcats host Washington in Pac-12 action, the conference opener for both. Arizona is a heavy favorite in the NCAAB odds.

How to Bet Washington at Arizona NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

• When: Thursday, 8:30 PM ET
• Where: McKale Center
• TV: Pac-12 Network
• Stream: Pac-12 Network Live
• Radio: Tunein.com
• Opening NCAAB Lines: Arizona -19 (total 149)

Last Meeting

On Feb. 27, Arizona beat visiting Washington 75-74. James Akinjo scored a career-high 26 points with seven assists, his final one a kick-out to Azuolas Tubelis who converted a baseline jumper for the win. Washington’s Quade Green was called for a charge, and after a timeout by Arizona with 15 seconds left, Akinjo headed into the paint before dishing the ball to Tubelis, who with one foot on the 3-point arc hit the game-winner with 5.2 seconds remaining. Green’s hurried 3-point try at the buzzer was short. Arizona leads all-time 54-31.

Why Bet on Washington?

The Huskies (4-4) were knocked off by Winthrop last Saturday, 82-74 at home. Winthrop, picked to win the Big South Conference and has won the last two conference titles, looked like the more well-rested team on Saturday. The Eagles were coming off five days rest while the Huskies were playing their fourth game in six days.

The Huskies trailed 35-30 at halftime and the Eagles never opened the door for the Huskies to get any closer. Winthrop had a 16-4 edge in second-chance points. Daejon Davis scored a season-high 21 points to lead four Huskies in double digits.

“We can look at the rebounds and second-chance points. We can make all the excuses in the world,” Davis said. “They were more prepared for us in this game. They came out and hit us first, and like coach said, it’s hard for us to play from behind all game.”

Terrell Brown Jr. was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 23.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.0 apg & 2.0 spg. He averaged 24.7 ppg in three games at the Crossover Classic and was named to the All-Tournament team last week. He was 27-46 (.587) from the field and 17-22 (.773) from the free throw line. Brown Jr. has scored 124 of his 175 points in the second half (70.8%). He leads the Pac-12 and ranks 11th nationally in scoring at 21.9 points per game and leads the nation in field goal makes with 64. He also ranks fifth in free throw makes (43) and third in free throw attempts (55). Brown Jr. is the only Husky to reach double-digit points in all seven games.

For this game, Washington is 5-9 vs. ranked teams under Mike Hopkins. Their last win over a top-10 team came against No. 8 Arizona in Seattle last season on Dominic Green’s buzzer-beating three-pointer.

Why Bet on Arizona?

The Wildcats (6-0) are off a 105-59 blowout of Sacramento State on Saturday. Azoulas Tubelis scored 22 points, and Christian Koloko added 20 before leaving with an ankle injury. The Wildcats had a huge size advantage and exploited it, overpowering the Hornets by 29 points in the paint. Arizona had 31 assists on 38 field goals, including nine by Kerr Kriisa, and shot 55%.

Koloko also had seven rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot but left early in the second half with a sprained ankle. He’s questionable for this game. Including a 20-point performance against Sacramento State, Koloko has scored at least 13 points in five of Arizona’s six games.

Koloko ranks ninth in the country in FG% this year, shooting 69.2% while averaging 16.2 points. The native of Cameroon has 21 blocked shots this season, tops in the Pac-12 and 15th nationally. He has scored in double figures in five of six games this season after reaching double figures twice in his first 54 career games. His shot-blocking has taken another step up this season. Koloko’s 3.5 blocks per game leads the conference.

Sophomore Azuolas Tubelis leads Arizona in scoring (16.5) and is second in rebounding (6.5). He has scored at least 13 points in every game this year. Arizona is the only team in the country with two players that are 6-foot-11 or taller and averaging 16.0 or more points.

The Wildcats are the only Division I team to have three wins by 45+ points this season. The last Pac-12 team to do that was UCLA in 1973-74. UA leads the nation in assist rate (73.8%), assists per game (23.5), defensive rebounds per game (33.67) and scoring margin (+33.8). Arizona also ranks in the top 10 nationally in FG% defense (2nd), scoring (3rd), blocked shots/game (6th), assist/turnover ratio (7th) and rebound margin (8th).

Expert Prediction

• Arizona 84, Washington 64

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