College Basketball Pick & Prediction for Colorado vs Oregon

Editor's Note: Colorado's Cody Williams (ankle) is out.

Oregon and Colorado meet Thursday at Matthew Knight Arena in a crucial Pac-12 conference game.

According to multiple bracketology sites, the Buffaloes are right on the bubble and can’t afford to drop this one.

Meanwhile, the Ducks are outside of the NCAA tournament conversation, but a win here and more in the conference tournament could earn them an invitation.

This is one of those classic March matchups between desperate teams trying to make The Big Dance, which should give us a great battle in Eugene.

The route is pretty simple for Colorado in terms of the upcoming Pac-12 Conference Tournament. If the Buffaloes win out, they control their destiny to the No. 3 seed, which comes with a bye to the quarterfinals.

However, it may not be that simple for coach Tad Boyle’s squad to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.

Coming into this one, Bracket Matrix has Colorado slated as in the field in 41 of the 104 bracketology publishers, which would have the program out of the tournament.

Regardless of how this season ends, Boyle has built a consistent program. The Buffaloes have clinched a .500 or better conference record for the 10th time in his 14 seasons.

This is also the ninth conference season in the Boyle era with double-figure wins. It would be great to cap this season off with a trip to The Big Dance.

Dana Altman is another coach who has built a steady program in the Pac-12. Earlier this season, he became the 24th coach (fifth active) in D1 history to reach 750 career wins.

The Ducks have secured a winning record in league action for the 13th consecutive season, the longest streak in the conference. However, if they are to get a March Madness invite, they'll likely have to win a few games in the Pac-12 Tournament and hope for the best in the other conference tournaments.

Jermaine Couisnard's play has helped lead the Ducks to another solid campaign. The redshirt senior guard ranks in the top 10 in the Pac-12 in scoring (15.5 PPG) and is also averaging 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.

Couisnard dropped a career-high 39 points in his most recent game and will need another big performance here.

Before diving into this handicap, there is one big question mark surrounding this game — the status of Colorado’s star guard, Cody Williams.

The projected top-10 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft has missed the past two games with an ankle injury and is questionable for this game.

Regardless of his status, there is one trend that I believe has betting value in this Pac-12 matchup.

My best bet is for Oregon to be winning at halftime. I'd take the Ducks at -130 or better on the 1H moneyline and wouldn't play anything more than -1.5 if you want to take the 1H spread.

This has been a very profitable play recently for the Ducks. Over their past nine games, Altman’s squad has had the lead going into halftime seven times.

The only two matchups where Oregon was trailing at the break came against the two ranked foes in the conference — No. 5 Arizona and No. 18 Washington State.

Meanwhile, Colorado hasn't gotten off to hot starts in league action. In their eight road league games, the Buffaloes were only up at halftime two times.

I don’t know who will ultimately win this pivotal game, but I do like Oregon to hold the lead at the break.

Pick: Oregon 1H Moneyline (Play at -130 or Better)