Washington State vs Washington Odds & Pick: How to Bet In-State Rivalry

Let's dive into the Washington State Cougars vs. Washington Huskies odds and make a pick for Saturday's Pac-12 college basketball game.

The first of the final two regular-season meetings between Washington and Washington State as Pac-12 rivals takes place on Saturday evening at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle.

The Cougars (6-4) sit one game back of Arizona and Oregon for the top spot in the conference as Washington State has turned things around since a slow start.

Conversely, the Huskies haven’t beaten a team in conference play that currently owns a winning Pac-12 record. That said, rivalry games are always tough, so let's get to my Washington State vs. Washington prediction.

Washington State fell into a quick 0-2 hole in conference play with road losses at Utah and Colorado. However, the Cougars are 6-2 in their past eight games.

The most impressive win came against Arizona on January 13, when Washington State was 73-70 as a nine-point home underdog.

Isaac Jones posted three consecutive games of 24 or more points in conference play in wins over USC, Arizona and Stanford. However, the Cougars' hot streak came to an end against Cal.

The good news for Kyle Smith’s team is they rebounded nicely with revenge victories against Utah and Colorado. The Cougars limited the Utes to 4-of-22 shooting from 3-point range in a 79-57 rout as 2.5-point favorites.

Washington State followed that up with a convincing 78-69 win over Colorado. Even though the Cougars won by nine points, Washington State led pretty much the entire 40 minutes to improve to 4-1 at home in league action.

However, the Cougars are are 2-3 on the road in league play and looking to climb back to .500 away from home. Washington State has won in three of its past four visits to Seattle, including a 93-84 triumph last season as a one-point favorite.

Life won’t get easier for Washington next season as the Huskies transition to the Big Ten. Mike Hopkins’ squad went 8-12 last season in conference play, but hasn’t made a significant jump this season as the Huskies are just 4-6.

During the 0-3 start in the conference, Washington blew a seven-point lead in a four-point loss at Colorado and squandered a 15-point advantage at Utah.

In the home opener against Oregon, Washington built an early seven-point cushion, but ultimately fell short.

Basically, Washington hung around in those three games and had nothing to show for it before finally breaking through in consecutive home wins over Oregon State and Arizona State.

Kentucky transfer Sahvir Wheeler shot a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point range in the 82-67 win over Arizona State, but has failed to connect on a 3-pointer in his past three games (0-of-9).

Washington’s lone road win came at California by two points, while coming off a 25-point blowout of Utah in its previous game.

The Huskies shot 63% on 2-point attempts, marking the second straight game in which they connected on at least 63% of shots inside the 3-point line.

However, Washington is facing a Washington State that ranks first in Pac-12 games in 2-point percentage defense by limiting opponents to 45.5%.

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Washington has blown its share of games, so the 4-6 record is a bit misleading. However, Washington State has played extremely well over the past six games.

The Cougars certainly have had success in Seattle over the years and are worth a strong look in a pick-em spot.

Pick: Washington State PK (Play to -1.5)