The college basketball betting line at SBG online sportsbook should favor the No. 7 Arizona Wildcats when they host the Washington State Cougars on Thursday, January 26th at McKale Center in Tucson.
NCAA Basketball Upset
The Wildcats are undefeated in Pac 12 play, and beat No. 3 UCLA 96-85 on Saturday. The betting lines NCAA basketball upset allowed UA to climb seven spots in the AP poll. Sophomore guard Allonzo Trier played his first game of the season after having cleared his good name – and he does have a pretty damn good name, though not as good as his teammate Chance Comanche – and was instrumental in Arizona’s victory. Trier had 12 points and Comanche 10 off the bench, while starters Kobi Simmons had 20 and Lauri Markkanen had 18. The Wildcats scored on almost every possession in the second half and effectively threw a wrench in the Bruins’ typically quick transition game.
Winning Streak
UA also out-rebounded the Bruins 42 to 33 and also got ahead in second-chance points 24 to 18. UA extended its winning streak to 12 straight games and at the same time snapped UCLA’s own 11-game home winning streak. Having Trier back on the team should propel the Wildcats from light speed into ludicrous speed and markedly improve their college basketball betting lines. Trier is Arizona’s lead returning scorer from last season, but can also pass and defend. Additionally, one more man – or “body” as LeBron James would say – should allow the undermanned rotation to get a few more minutes’ rest.
Washington State Cougars
The Washington State Cougars bounced back from a four-game losing streak with a 91-89 win over Colorado on Saturday. Charles Callison went 6 of 9 from the three-point line. “After the first few,” the senior guard said, “it looked like I was throwing a rock into the ocean.” Or a hotdog down a hallway. Callison finished with a career-best 30 points and five steals. However, it was Ike Iroegbu’s layup with 10.5 seconds to go in overtime that gave WSU the victory. Iroegbu had 20 points and eight rebounds. The Cougars have lost 10 consecutive games to UA, and trail 16-61 in the all time series. WSU has not beaten Arizona since February 6th, 2010, and have not won in Arizona since January 8th, 2010.
The Wildcats
The Wildcats will be WSU’s third ranked opponent this season. The Cougars lost to then-No. 22 Creighton last November, and to then-No. 15 Oregon in early January. WSU last defeated a ranked team on January 3rd, 2016 – then-No. 25 UCLA. The Cougars would like nothing more than to break that betting lines NCAA basketball trend. WSU is 3-4 in conference play and sits mid-table in the Pac 12, which is led precisely by the Wildcats. The Cougars will have to find their sweet spot early on – like they did against Colorado (53.8 field goal percentage compared to the 44.4% season average) – if they want to have a shot at defying the college basketball betting lines versus Arizona. We’ll see how far their momentum carries them.