Arizona vs. Arizona State Odds
| Arizona Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-13 -110 | 142 -110o / -110u | -1100 |
| Arizona State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+13 -110 | 142 -110o / -110u | +680 |
Arizona will make the short trip to face its in-state rival for the second time this season.
Arizona is poised to be a top seed in the NCAA Tournament after starting the season 19-2. The Wildcats have been destroying their opponents by an average margin of 20 points per game.
The group is coming fresh off of victories over UCLA and USC. The Wildcats won the first matchup against Arizona State this season by 11, but they played potentially one of their worst games of the campaign.
That likely means the Wildcats are poised for a blowout victory in this one.
Arizona Wildcats
There's no secret that Arizona has emerged as a true contender to cut down the nets in April.
The offense has been electric thanks to Tommy Lloyd’s fast tempo. He’s led the Wildcats to the third-best scoring offense in the country, putting up 85 points per game.
The group takes 66% of its shot attempts from inside the perimeter. That's for a good reason, as Arizona shoots 57% on 2-point attempts, which is top-10 in the nation. It utilizes its length to grab offensive rebounds on 37% of misses.
In the first matchup with Arizona State, the Wildcats had their worst offensive game of the season. They converted on 32% of their 59 field goal attempts, while hitting just 3-of-23 (13%) from beyond the arc. The Wildcats opened the game hitting just four of their first 24 shot attempts before settling down.
The Arizona defense dominated in the first meeting — as it has all season. Arizona owns the top 2-point defense in the country, holding opponents to less than 40% inside the arc. The Wildcats held the Sun Devils to 30% on their 39 attempts inside the perimeter.
Arizona State Sun Devils
The Sun Devils pulled off the impossible, beating UCLA 87-84 in triple overtime on Saturday. Arizona State has been playing better basketball over the last two weeks, losing tight games to Stanford, Arizona and USC before finally breaking through in the win column.
Arizona State had six players who scored in double figures against UCLA, which was the most in any of its games this season. It was a rare offensive highlight for a program that has struggled.
The offense ranks 246th in efficiency rating, averaging just 63 points per game. The group hits just 28% from 3-point territory (349th) and 45% on its 2-point attempts (319th).
The Sun Devils even struggle from the charity stripe, hitting just 67%. Arizona State has shot better than 40% from the field in only three of its last nine games.
It's the Sun Devils' defensive unit that has kept the squad competitive in games recently. Over the last three outings, the defense has held the top-three offenses (UCLA, USC and Arizona) to 14-of-69 from downtown (20%).
Arizona vs. Arizona State Betting Pick
Arizona State has stepped up its game over the last two weeks, but it has only beaten three teams that rank inside the KenPom 100 this season.
The Sun Devils' offense is awful, as it ranks outside the top 300 in 2-point, 3-point and free-throw percentage. The defense is what has kept them competitive recently. They held Arizona to 32% shooting in the first matchup, but replicating that effort will be an enormous challenge.
Arizona's offense has shot above 40% from the field in all but two games this season. It has hit over 50% of its field goal attempts in 11 of its games this season.
The Wildcats also own the top 2-point defense in the country. Arizona State can't shoot from the outside, and scoring inside will be a monumental struggle.
Arizona State was lucky to catch the Wildcats in a let-down spot in the first meeting. Now, the Sun Devils just took down UCLA, so Lloyd will have his unit ready to go right out of the gate.
