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College Basketball

Thursday’s Tip Sheet

4 minute read
This Thursday night’s college basketball betting board is highlighted by a pair of matchups in the Pac-12 featuring two of the conference’s three teams ranked in the latest AP Top 25.

The first game sends the California Golden Bears to Bolder to square off against the No. 24 Colorado Buffaloes. Later that night, the USC Trojans will be on the road for a matchup against the No. 23 Arizona Wildcats.

California Golden Bears at No. 24 Colorado Buffaloes
(Pac-12 Network, 8 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: >Colorado -17, Total 127.5
Provided by Unibet (NJ and PA only)
Odds subject to change

Betting Matchup

California recently earned a straight-up split against the state of Oregon on its home court by losing to the Ducks 77-72 ahead of Saturday’s tight 69-67 victory against Oregon State. The Golden Bears covered as underdogs in each game to improve to 5-2 against the spread over their last seven games. They are 4-4 SU in Pac-12 play and 10-11 SU (9-12 ATS) overall. The total went OVER in those last two games.

Cal’s leading scorer this season is Matt Bradley with 17.9 points per game. The sophomore guard has scored a combined 48 points in his last two starts.

Colorado is a half game in back of Oregon for the lead in the Pac-12 at 6-3 (SU and ATS). It followed up a 72-68 road loss to UCLA as a 4 ½-point favorite with Saturday’s 78-57 road rout of USC as a slight 1 ½-point underdog. The Buffaloes (17-5 SU, 11-10-1 ATS) are 3-1 SU and ATS in their last four games with the total going OVER in four of their last six outings.

Tyler Bey had the hot hand against USC with 16 points. Junior guard McKinley Wright IV (13.4 points) added 12 points and eight assists to the winning cause as the team’s leading scorer this season.

Betting Trends

-- The Golden Bears are 0-5 ATS this season on the road and they are 5-10 ATS in 15 games closing as underdogs.

-- The Buffaloes have won their last three home games both SU and ATS. They are 6-5-1 ATS at home on the year. The total has gone OVER in eight of their last nine home games.

-- Colorado has won the last four meetings SU but the series is tied 2-2 ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in eight of the last 10 games between the two.

USC Trojans at No. 23 Arizona Wildcats
(ESPN2, 9 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: >Arizona -10, Total 139.5
Provided by Unibet (NJ and PA only)
Odds subject to change

Betting Matchup

With Saturday’s loss to Colorado, the Trojans (17-5 SU, 12-10 ATS) fall to 6-3 SU and ATS in the conference. This loss followed a 56-52 victory against Utah on Jan. 30 as eight-point home favorites. The total has stayed UNDER in their last three games with an average of 62.7 PPG. On the year, USC is averaging 72.3 point a game with a trio of players scoring at least 11 PPG.

The Trojans are shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from three point range. Defensively, they are giving up an average of 67.2 PPG.

Arizona (15-6 SU, 12-9 ATS) is also in the mix for the Pac-12 regular season title at 5-3 SU in the current standings. The Wildcats are 4-1 both SU and ATS in their last five games after knocking off Washington State 66-49 on Saturday as 8 ½-point road favorites. They beat Washington on the road 75-72 to barely cover the two-point closing spread in their previous game.

The total has stayed UNDER in three of Arizona’s last four contests. Three players scored in double figures in Saturday’s win led by Stone Gettings’ 19 points. The Wildcats are averaging 79.8 PPG.

Betting Trends

-- The Trojans have covered in six of their seven road games this season. They are 5-2 ATS in seven games closing as underdogs.

-- The Wildcats are 10-1 SU in 11 previous home games while going 9-2 ATS. The total has gone OVER in four of their last six games at home as favorites.

-- Arizona has a SU 7-3 record in its last 10 games against USC with the slight 6-4 edge ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in four of the last six meetings.

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