College Basketball Odds & Picks for Washington vs. Arizona: Back the Wildcats as Heavy Home Favorites

Washington vs. Arizona Odds

Thursday, Dec. 2

8:30 p.m. ET

Pac-12 Network

Washington Odds
Spread	Total	Moneyline
+19 -115	148.5 -115o / -105u	Not Posted

Arizona Odds
Spread	Total	Moneyline
-19 -105	148.5 -115o / -105u	Not Posted

Odds via PointsBet. Get up-to-the-minute college basketball odds here.

An underwhelming Washington Huskies team will travel to Tucson to play the Arizona Wildcats in their first Pac-12 matchup of the season. Washington has been subpar for nearly 10 years at this point, and they have started the season with a 4-4 record, somehow winning surprising games like South Dakota State and George Mason.

Arizona, on the other hand, has been quite impressive. Their only close call this season came against Wichita State in overtime, but they crushed Michigan and every mid-to-low major they have played. Their defense is among the best in college basketball, so points will be extremely hard to come by for the Huskies.

Washington Huskies

Washington has about an average defense as they rank 89^th in Defensive Efficiency, according to KenPom, and force the 42^nd– most turnovers in the NCAA. Almost anyone can block a shot in their lineup, but Arizona only has a few players who might cough up the ball.

It' unlikely to see a scenario where Washington suddenly forces turnovers because they are only averaging 7.6 steals per game as a unit. Their underwhelming steal numbers have come against far lesser competition than potentially the best team in the PAC-12.

This Huskies team is top-heavy. Terrell Brown Jr. is a phenomenal player averaging 21.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. He does it all, but this is  because he needs to do it all. Otherwise, Emmitt Matthews Jr., Jamal Bey, and P.J. Fuller are alternative scoring options, averaging over 10 PPG apiece.

Washington's strength resides in its guards as Matthews is the only forward among this bunch. Nate Roberts and Cole Bajema are a significant step down if Matthews gets into foul trouble. It will be tough for such an imbalanced lineup for find a way to score if any of the usual suspects finds himself riding the pine in this game.

Jamal Bey and Daejon Davis are the outside shooters on this team. They both have hit over 35% of their 3-pointers, which is crucial considering the entire Washington team is only shooting a collective 31.6% behind the arc. Arizona has held opponents to 26.1% from three-point range, so do not expect much activity from the Huskies from downtown.

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Arizona Wildcats

Arizona is a potent defensive team. They rank  13^th in Defensive Efficiency, according to KenPom, and held a Michigan offense to only 62 points while also smothering their lesser matchups. Likely, this will be the case with Washington, who could be the worst team in the Pac-12 by the end of the season.

Arizona also holds foes to 26.1% from inside the arc, which would be Washington’s best opportunity for scoring. Unfortunately, the Huskies truly do not have a big man outside of Matthews, and he will not be allowed to score inside. The outcome will probably resemble that of their games against Wyoming or Northern Illinois where those teams held Matthews to six and seven points, respectively.

Arizona is not much of an outside shooting team, but this variable should not matter. They have the 11^th highest two-point shooting percentage in basketball. Christian Koloko, at six-foot-one, will be quite the mismatch for the Huskies defense.

Matthews will guard him and only stands at six-foot-seven. Azuolas Tubelis also stands at six-foot-eleven, so it is hard to tell how Arizona will allow Washington to crash the glass. There will be a litany of second chance opportunities for the Wildcats.

Washington vs. Arizona Betting Pick

Arizona is one of the best teams in the nation at this time, and their win streak will not slow down at home against Washington. Their size and vicious defense are both incredible obstacles for the Huskies to overcome.

This could be a wide scoring margin at halftime and remain that way throughout the second half. Take Arizona at -19 (-105), and play to -20 (-110).

Pick: Arizona -19 (-105)