Ducks Down Huskies, Pace Pac-12

Oregon fought its way to another victory on Saturday. In doing so, the Ducks remain undefeated in conference play and continue to top the Pac-12.

Whilst talk of the Pac-12’s strength, or lack thereof, has been rife at the round tables these past few weeks, Saturday saw the conference’s two ranked sides take care of business.

Oregon continued its surprising run with a win over Washington, while Arizona made a statement against USC, returning to winning ways in the process.

No. 16 Oregon 81, Washington 76

No. 16 Oregon (18-2, 7-0 Pac-12) continued to pace the Pac-12 Saturday, scoring an 81-76 victory over Washington (12-8, 4-3 Pac-12) in a high-scoring game in Eugene, Ore.

The Ducks got solid performances from E.J. Singler (18 points) and Arsalam Kazemi (11 points, 11 rebounds), making up for the absence of point guard Dominic Artis, out indefinitely with a foot injury.

The Huskies meanwhile missed an opportunity to climb into the positions immediately below Oregon, and make the most of UCLA’s surprise loss to Washington State. The Bruins, who were favored by 2.5, fell by 18.

Washington may not have scored a win on Saturday but the Huskies did cover the spread (+8) moving the side to 10-8-0 ATS this season. The game marked the fourth time in five games Oregon (9-8-1 ATS) had failed to cover. That’s a trend worth keeping in mind going forward.

The total (easily) went over the 138-point marker bookmakers put in place ahead of this one. That in itself was something of a surprise; Oregon is now 8-4-0 in favor of the under while Washington is 5-4-0, also in favor of the under.

Oregon makes the trip to Stanford on Wednesday, while Washington hosts Arizona on Thursday.

No. 6 Arizona 74, USC 50

The Pac-12’s other AP ranked side, No. 6 Arizona (17-2, 5-2 Pac-12) made short work of USC (8-13, 3-5 Pac-12) to remain two games back of the Ducks.

The Wildcats bounced back from Thursday’s loss at home to UCLA, cleanly covering the spread (-15) in the process. Arizona (9-8-0 ATS) has now covered in two of three games, having failed to cover in five straight games prior to that. USC (7-13-0 ATS) meanwhile has failed to cover in three straight, and look unlikely to make any noise in the conference this season.

The total (135.5) went under for the second time in three games for both sides. Arizona is now 10-3-1 in favor of the under, while USC is 10-6-0 in favor of the over.

Arizona will make the journey north to Washington on Thursday, while USC will head to UCLA on Wednesday.

Sunday’s Pac-12 Fixtures

The Pac-12’s lack of depth this year has translated to Sunday’s conference schedule, which features a pair of games that few – other than diehard fans that is – would get excited about.

California (11-7, 3-3 Pac-12) makes the journey to Boulder to take on Colorado (13-6, 3-4 Pac-12). Both sides find themselves in the middle of the pack this season, and without a win on Sunday, look very unlikely to proceed any further.

Colorado is the favorite, with the spread at 6.5. The Buffaloes have covered the spread in their last two games and are 10-7-0 ATS all told. California meanwhile has gone a paltry 6-10-0 ATS this season, although the Golden Bears have covered in three of the last five.

The total is 134. Both teams have been friends with the under this season, with Colorado going 8-4-0 and California going 4-6-0, both in favor of the under.

Meanwhile, Stanford (11-8, 2-4 Pac-12) visits Utah (9-10, 1-6 Pac-12) in a game that sees both teams in dire need of a conference win. The Cardinal has won just two Pac-12 games this season (vs. California, vs. Washington State) while the Utes have won only one (at Washington).

Stanford is favored on the road, with the spread at 2.5. The Cardinal has compiled a 7-11-0 ATS record this season, a category in which the Utes (11-6-0 ATS) have fared much better. Bettors might want to consider that before putting any money down.

 

Saturday’s Pac-12 Results

Arizona State 78, UCLA 60

Washington State 71, Oregon State 68

No. 6 Arizona 74, USC 50

No. 16 Oregon 81, Washington 76

Pac-12 Schedule

Sunday

California at Colorado

Stanford at Utah

Wednesday

USC at UCLA

No. 16 Oregon at Stanford

Thursday

No. 6 Arizona at Washington

Oregon State at California

Arizona State at Washington State

Saturday

Colorado at Utah

No. 16 Oregon at California

Arizona State at Washington