Washington State vs Colorado Odds
| Washington State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7.5 -110 | 142.5 -110o / -110u | +260 |
| Colorado Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7.5 -110 | 142.5 -110o / -110u | -350 |
We head out to Boulder, Colorado, for a Pac-12 clash between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Washington State Cougars.
Tad Boyle's Buffaloes have impressed thus far, and they will look to continue their excellent play of late into the conference schedule. Meanwhile, the Cougars will be looking to rebound after getting embarrassed by Utah in their last matchup.
Let's dive right into a breakdown of the matchup and make a Colorado vs. Washington State pick.
Washington State Cougars
The Cougars got exposed against the Utes in their last matchup. They’ve been pretty fortunate with their strength of schedule, so we’ll see if they can bounce back in a tough road environment.
Washington State runs a slow-tempo offense that does not feature a lot of 3-pointers. The Cougars lean heavily on their scoring from the mid-range and inside the paint. The Buffaloes are a solid defensive team inside the arc, so the Cougars are going to have to work hard to generate some offense.
The Cougars rank 36th in offensive rebounding, but they are facing a Colorado team that does an even better job at preventing second scoring chances. Washington State is the fifth-tallest in the entire nation, but the Buffaloes aren't far behind at 17th. Normally the Cougars would be able to capitalize with their length and athleticism, but that won’t be the case in this matchup.
This is a decent team that is pretty sound on both sides of the ball, but I just don’t see how they can pull off the upset in this game. There are not enough holes in this Buffaloes defense for the visitors to take advantage of.
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Colorado Buffaloes
If you don’t know about him yet, let me introduce you to guard KJ Simpson.
KJ SIMPSON 😤🔨
📺 ESPNU pic.twitter.com/4nQ8O9wBHV
— Colorado Men's Basketball (@CUBuffsMBB) December 30, 2023
Simpson has been on a tear to start this season, including shooting at a 48% clip from deep.
Between Simpson and big man Eddie Lampkin, the Buffaloes have as lethal of a duo there is in the sport. Colorado is quickly making national waves, and is easily the second-best team in the Pac-12.
I mentioned the Cougars were going to struggle to score in this game, and that’s because of this terrific defense. The Buffaloes rank 28th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Offensively, they have the weapons to overwhelm this Washington State defense, but they should not overlook their opponent considering the Cougars are top 20 in 2PT and 3PT defense.
This is a fast-paced offense, so I would expect the Buffaloes to turn this game into a track meet. The Cougars also give up a hefty amount of trips to the charity stripe, which is great news for a Buffaloes team shooting 77% at the line.
Colorado has enough talent to overcome some scoring droughts, and I expect the Buffaloes to take care of business even if their offense isn’t flourishing per usual.
Washington State vs. Colorado
Betting Pick & Prediction
I think Colorado takes care of business at home, but I’m a bit weary laying 9.5 points in this spot. Instead, I like the under in this game.
Both of these defenses should be able to utilize their size and athleticism to slow down the opposing offenses. As much as I love the Colorado offense, Washington State's defense should not be overlooked. I am a bit worried that the Cougars' defensive numbers could be inflated due to their weaker schedule, but the makeup of this roster tells me otherwise.
I have faith in both of these defenses to get the under home.
