Saturday’s NCAA Basketball Tip Sheet for Feb. 22, Pac-12 and WCC Best Bets

A pair of matchups between nationally ranked teams on the West Coast highlight Saturday night’s college basketball betting action.

Starting in the Pac-12, the No. 14 Oregon Ducks will be on the road against the No. 24 Arizona Wildcats. Later that night in Provo, the No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs will face off against the No. 23 BYU Cougars in a West Coast Conference clash.

No. 14 Oregon Ducks at No. 24 Arizona Wildcats
(ESPN, 9:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Arizona -5, Total 141

Betting Matchup

The Ducks closed as slight two-point road favorites in Thursday’s matchup against Arizona State but they came up short in a 77-72 loss. This was their third straight-up loss in their last five outings to fall a game off the pace for the Pac-12 regular season title at 9-5. Oregon (20-7 SU) drops to 15-12 against the spread after failing to cover in nine of its 14 Pac-12 games. The total has gone OVER in eight of those contests.

Senior guard Payton Pritchard is averaging a team-high 19.4 points per game. He ended Thursday’s game with 18 points.

Arizona (19-7 SU, 15-11 ATS) is right in the mix for the conference title at 9-4 after winning its last three games SU and ATS. The Wildcats are 6-1 SU in their last seven games with a 5-2 record ATS. One of those four losses in Pac-12 play was against Oregon on the road with tight 74-73 setback on Jan. 9 as three-point underdogs. They were on the right side of Thursday’s 89-63 romp over Oregon State as 10 ½-point favorites at home. The total went OVER 137 points in that game after staying UNDER in six of Arizona’s previous eight games.

Josh Green led the way against Oregon State with 18 points.

Betting Trends

-- The Ducks are 3-6 SU in their last nine road games as underdogs but they improve to 6-1 ATS in their last seven road games getting points. The total has stayed UNDER in four of their last six road games as underdogs.

-- The Wildcats have won eight of their last 10 home games SU closing as favorites with a 6-4 record ATS. The total has gone OVER in three of their last five games as home favorites.

-- With this year’s win, Oregon is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games against Arizona. The Ducks failed to cover in that January meeting for the first time in the last five meetings between the two. The total has gone OVER in seven of the last 10 meetings.

No. 2 Gonzaga Bulldogs at No. 23 BYU Cougars
(ESPN2, 10:00 p.m. ET)

Opening Odds: Gonzaga -5, Total 159

Betting Matchup

The Bulldogs continue their quest for a perfect record in WCC play riding an overall SU 19-game winning streak but they have failed to cover in four of their last six games. They did beat San Francisco 71-54 on Thursday night to cover as 16 ½-point favorites at home. The total stayed UNDER 156 points in that game after going OVER in their previous nine outings. Gonzaga is 27-1 SU overall with a 15-12-1 record ATS. Killian Tillie led the way on Thursday night with 22 points and nine rebounds.

Gonzaga has seven different players averaging at least 10 PPG.

BYU knocked off Santa Clara 85-75 on Thursday as a 14 ½-point home favorite to improve to 11-3 SU in conference play. One of the three losses was a 92-69 blowout at the hands of Gonzaga on Jan. 18 as a 13-point road underdog. The Cougars are riding a SU seven-game winning streak as part of a 22-7 record on the year. They failed to cover in their last two games to slip to 17-11 ATS. The total has gone OVER in five of their last eight contests.

TJ Haws had the hot hand for BYU on Thursday with 28 points while dishing out nine assists.

Betting Trends

-- The Bulldogs have won their last 26 road games SU when closing as favorites but they have failed to cover in three of their last four road games giving points. The total has gone OVER in their last five games as road favorites.

-- The Cougars are 2-8 SU in their last 10 games as home underdogs with a 2-6-2 record ATS. The total has stayed UNDER in five of their last six home games getting points.

-- Gonzaga has won nine of the last 10 meetings SU with a 6-2-2 edge ATS. The total has gone OVER in three of the last five games between the two.