Pac-12 Tournament Betting Trends & Action Report

Patrick Everson Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

Pac-12 Tournament betting heads to the championship game, one of four major conference finals on the Saturday schedule, among a slew of other title games. Undermanned UCLA is being held together by duct tape and baling wire at this point, but still rolled into the tourney final.

The Bruins will meet No. 2 seed Arizona in a rubber match, as the two teams split their regular-season meetings.

Multiple oddsmakers provide their insights on Pac-12 Tournament betting odds, trends and action. Check back for updates up until tipoff.

Pac-12 Tournament Odds

No. 2 Arizona vs No. 1 UCLA

Opening line: UCLA -1.5; Over/Under 148.5
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET Saturday (ESPN)

UPDATE 7:45 P.M. ET SATURDAY: Less than three hours before tipoff, this game is a pick 'em in WynnBet's Pac-12 Tournament odds market. UCLA opened -1 (-105) this morning, and the line has been at pick since lunchtime.

UCLA is taking 56% of spread tickets, but 81% of spread dollars are on Arizona. On the moneyline, ticket count is dead even, while money has a slight Bruins lean at 52%.

The total opened at 148, dipped to 147.5 midmorning and returned to 148 late this morning. The Over is seeing 61% of bets, but 70% of money is on the Under.

UPDATE 10 A.M. ET SATURDAY: BetMGM opened banged-up UCLA at -1.5 (even) earlier this morning on the Pac-12 Tournament odds board. Since then, there's only been a couple of juice adjustments, with UCLA spending a little time at -1.5 flat and then -1.5 (-105) before returning to -1.5 even.

Point-spread ticket count and money are both in the 2/1 range on the Bruins in the early going. But there's still more than 12 hours until tipoff.

"As of now, it's more UCLA money," BetMGM sports trader Christian Cipollini said, while noting Pac-12 Tourney futures betting plays into tonight's need. "We want Arizona. UCLA is a slight loser, but that could change by game time. We'll have a bunch of hometown Arizona bets."

Indeed, the Arizona sports betting market is among the more robust, even at just 18 months old.

The total opened and remains 148.5 at BetMGM, with early tickets running 2.5/1 and early cash 3/1 on the Over.

UPDATE 2 A.M. ET SATURDAY: In last Saturday's regular-season finale – coincidentally against Arizona – UCLA lost forward Jaylen Clark to a lower leg injury. Subsequent reports indicated that Clark hurt his Achilles and was done for the season. But the Bruins haven't said as much yet.

Then in Friday's Pac-12 semifinals against Oregon, UCLA center Adem Bona exited early in the second half with a shoulder injury. The Bruins soldiered on and actually pulled away for a 75-56 victory laying 5 points against the Ducks.

UCLA (29-4 SU, 20-12-1 ATS) is on a 12-0 SU tear (8-3-1 ATS). But coach Mick Cronin's troops could be shorthanded in the Pac-12 final.

Arizona (27-6 SU, 16-16-1 ATS) entered the second Pac-12 semi with some payback in mind against in-state rival Arizona State. On Feb. 25, the host Wildcats fell to the Sun Devils 89-88 on a beyond-halfcourt 3-point heave at the buzzer.

Arizona got its measure of revenge, running away over the final seven minutes Friday night. Leading 56-52, the Wildcats closed out the game with a 22-7 run in a 78-59 victory giving 7.5 points.

In the wee hours, no sportsbooks had odds up yet for Arizona-UCLA. Oddsmakers are likely waiting until Saturday morning, hoping for some clarity on Bona's injury. Check back throughout the day for updates on Pac-12 Tournament odds, action and betting splits.

In the aforementioned regular-season closer, UCLA nabbed an 82-73 home win giving 5.5 points. On Jan. 21, host Arizona posted a 58-52 win laying 2 points.

Patrick Everson

Patrick Everson is a senior reporter for VegasInsider. Based in Las Vegas since 1994, he's worked in the sports betting journalism/content space for more than a decade. He's most known for his deep roster of contacts behind sportsbook counters, providing readers and viewers with the ins-and-outs of how events are being bet. He's also a thought leader in the sports betting space, often appearing on or moderating panels at national conferences. More from Patrick Everson