The Washington State Cougars (20-6) travel to face off against the Arizona Wildcats (20-5) on Thursday, February 22nd. This game will be played at McKale Center in Tucson and televised on FS1. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 11:00 ET.
Washington State Cougars vs Arizona Wildcats
The Washington State Cougars Are Coming Off A Win
Washington State comes into this game as the underdog, as they have been in 8 of their 26 games this season. They have gone 5-3 in those games, and they are currently riding a 7-game win streak. Their overall record on the year is 20-6, and their conference record is 11-4.
On the road, the Cougars have been solid, going 6-3, and their average scoring margin is +1.7. They have won their last 4 games away from home, and their record over their last 10 road games is 6-4. In their most recent game, they beat Stanford by a score of 72-59.
Washington State has been a solid team against the spread this season, going 14-11-1. On the road, they are 5-3-1 vs. the spread, and their last 3 road games have resulted in a 2-1 ATS mark. As the underdog, the Cougars have been even better, going 5-2-1 vs. the spread this year and 6-3-1 in their last 10 games as the underdog.
Washington State’s over/under record this season is 12-14 and today’s line of 150 is higher than the average over/under line in their games (141.6). In their last three games, the over/under record is 1-2 and the average scoring total in those games is 132 points. So far, 21 of their games have finished with fewer points than today’s line of 150.
The Arizona Wildcats Are Coming Off A Win
Arizona will look to extend their winning streak to seven games as they host Washington State. The Wildcats have been unbeatable at home this season, going 14-0, and they have an average scoring margin of +29.4 points per game at home. On the year, Arizona is 20-5, and they have gone 11-3 in Pac-12 action.
Coming off a 105-60 win over Arizona State, the Wildcats have now won six straight games. Over their last 10 games at home, Arizona is a perfect 10-0.
Against the spread, Arizona has gone 17-8 this season, including an 11-3 mark at home. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Wildcats are 5-5 vs. the spread.
Arizona’s over/under record this season is 13-11-1, and today’s line of 150 is lower than the average over/under line in their games (158.3). So far, 19 of their games have finished with more points than 150. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 182 points, and their OU record over their last 10 games is 6-4.
Washington State Offense Breakdown
The Washington State offense is coming off a game where they scored 72 points against Stanford. They posted a field goal percentage of 47.2% and connected on 9 threes. The top scorer for the Cougars was Jaylen Wells with 15 points, while Isaac Jones also chipped in with 15 points.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myles Rice (G) | 15.9 | 3.0 | 3.7 |
| Isaac Jones (F) | 15.8 | 7.6 | 1.5 |
| Jaylen Wells (F) | 11.2 | 4.5 | 1.0 |
Arizona Offense Breakdown
Arizona’s offense is coming off a strong performance vs. Arizona State, finishing the game with a total of 105 points. Their season average is now 90.7 points per game. The top scorer for the Wildcats was Jaden Bradley with 21 points, while Oumar Ballo also added 15 to the scoreboard.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Love (G) | 18.8 | 5.0 | 3.2 |
| Oumar Ballo (C) | 13.0 | 9.8 | 1.0 |
| Pelle Larsson (G) | 13.0 | 4.4 | 3.5 |
Washington State Team Defense
This season, the Washington State defense has been impressive, holding the 45th position in the country while permitting an average of 66.5 points per contest. Against Stanford, the Cougars’ defense gave up 59 points and did a good job not fouling. For the game, Stanford only made 9 free-throws.
Arizona Team Defense
On defense, Arizona is currently around the NCAA average in points allowed, giving up an average of 72.9 points per game. On average, opposing teams are hitting 8.4 threes per game vs. Washington State. This has come on three-point shooting percentage of 34.8%.
Cougars vs Wildcats Trends
- Across their last three road contests, Washington State has been good against the spread posting a mark of 2-1. Their overall mark in these games was 3-0, while averaging 66 points per game.
- The Wildcats are 3-0 ATS in their last three home games and 3-0 straight-up.
- Spanning across their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Cougars have gone 6-3-1 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 6-4.
- The Wildcats have played well in their last three games as the betting favorite, going 3-0 straight up and 2-1 against the spread.
Cougars vs Wildcats Prediction
For a point-spread wager in this Wildcats vs. Wildcats game, we suggest taking the Wildcats at -11.5. Even though our predictions have the Wildcats winning 75-70, we see the Cougars as the better choice on the point-spread.
As for the total, the line is currently sitting at 150 and our model has the Cougars and Wildcats finishing with a combined 145 points. Our pick is to take the under.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:February 22, 2024 Arizona Wildcats, Washington State Cougars