Getty Abu Kigab #24 of the Oregon Ducks celebrates his three point shot, the ducks are facing a heavy line in tonight's betting prediction.
The Oregon Ducks start off their Pac-12 tournament run with a first-round matchup against the Washington State Cougars. Despite tonight’s matchup offering one of the heavier betting lines in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament, the odds are deceptively solid and the game is without a doubt worth some consideration.
The Cougars are in the midst of a five-game losing streak and get to face off against the Ducks for the third time on the season with the Ducks picking up the win in each of their previous two matchups. While beating a team three times in a year is no easy feat, even without Bol Bol, the Ducks are by far the better basketball team.
Check out some of the Ducks’ best moments from their 55-47 win over Washington!
Speaking of Bol, the Ducks have struggled on the season since losing their future lottery pick just eight games into the season. While lacking Bol’s size and skillset, freshman Louis King has stepped up admirably and turned himself into one of the Ducks’ most important contributors.
Washington State Cougars vs Oregon Ducks Betting Line & Odds
(All Lines/Odds Courtesy of Oddsshark)
- Washington State Cougars (11-20) vs Oregon Ducks (19-12)
- Wednesday, March 13th at 11:30 pm ET
- Point Spread: Oregon Ducks (-11.5)
- Point Total: (137)
Washington State Cougars vs Oregon Ducks Prediction & Pick
Washington State just isn’t very good right now and Oregon, even without Bol, has shown to be the far more talented team. The Ducks have actually turned a corner recently and rattled off four consecutive wins to end Pac-12 play. Not only are the Ducks the more talented team but they are by far the hotter team between the two coming into the matchup.
In Bol’s absence, the Ducks have adopted an extremely well-rounded offensive attack that focuses on ball-movement and finding the open man as opposed to giving it to their unicorn Sudanese center and getting out of the way. While they haven’t had the most success on the year, they boast a number of talented young players who have taken some major strides as the year has gone along.
However, the Cougars have history on their side as losers of both games against the Ducks this season. It is notoriously tough to beat the same team three times in the same season. That said, Washington State hasn’t been remotely close in either matchup with the Ducks, last losing by 11 points in their home building.
Though Washington State does have some decent conference wins over Arizona and Arizona State in back to back games, they haven’t shown the ability to compete in the Pac-12 outside of that brief window and a conference tournament game on a neutral court should not do them any favors.
Take a look at some of the Ducks’ best plays from their 72-61 win over WSU!
Washington State loves to pound the ball inside using forwards Robert Franks and CJ Elleby, however, the Ducks have shown that their frontcourt is up to the task of holding the Wazzu attack in check. Franks is the Cougars leading scorer and catalyst for the offense, yet has been held to below his season averages (and inefficient performances) in both points and rebounds in both outings against the Ducks.
Although this game offers the widest spread for any Pac-12 first-round tournament game, the Ducks should win this game with relative ease and embarrass the Cougars in the first round. Oregon is a more talented team than their record indicates without Bol and their recent improvements and hot streak should keep rolling into the tournament.