Oregon vs. Arizona Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Oregon Ducks have a lot of work to do if they are going to make the NCAA Tournament. They are currently 13-9 with losses to UC Irvine and Utah Valley, and their one great win came a little over two weeks ago when they hammered the Arizona Wildcats 87-68 in Eugene. Oregon dominated in the paint in that game, and the Ducks are hoping to do the same thing in the rematch this week in the desert.

On Thursday, February 2, 2023, the Arizona Wildcats will welcome the Oregon Ducks to the McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona. This game will tip off at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Oregon Ducks vs. Arizona Wildcats Betting Prediction

The Arizona Wildcats were a No. 1 seed in Tommy Lloyd's first season on the sidelines after replacing Sean Miller, and he is looking to lead the Wildcats to a No. 1 seed again this year. Currently, the Wildcats are on the No. 2 line in Joe Lunardi's most recent Bracketology, but they are 19-3, and Oregon is one of the few quality teams left on their schedule. A win here would give Arizona 20 wins, and the Wildcats would only have one tough test the rest of the way (at UCLA in their regular season finale). They should be able to get the win, but it will be closer than the experts think.

Score Prediction: Arizona 79, Oregon 75
Best Bet: Oregon +8.5 (-110)

Oregon Ducks vs. Arizona Wildcats Betting Odds

Oregon Ducks vs. Arizona Wildcats Betting Resources

Date: Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023
TV-Time: ESPN, 10:30 p.m. ET
Venue: McKale Center
Location: Tucson, Arizona
Matchup
Expert Picks

Pac-12 Championship Odds

Oregon Ducks vs. Arizona Wildcats Betting Stats

Oregon Ducks
SU: 13-9
ATS: 11-10-1
O/U: 11-11
PPG: 70.3
OPPG: 66

Arizona Wildcats
SU: 19-3
ATS: 9-12-1
O/U: 10-12
PPG: 82.9
OPPG: 71.3

Straight Up (SU), Against the Spread (ATS), Over-Under (O/U)
Points Per Game (PPG), Opponents Points Per Game (OPPG)

Oregon Ducks Betting Analysis

Center N'Faly Dante was awesome in Oregon's win over Arizona two weeks ago. Dante finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds, and he made 81.8% of his field goals as Oregon made almost 72% of its two-point field goals. The 6'11 senior can be difficult to dislodge from the paint, so don't be surprised if Oregon makes him the focal point of the offense yet again in the rematch.

Oregon's leading scorer on the season is Will Richardson. He has one of the highest usage rates of any player in the country as he is averaging almost 36 MPG. Richardson is averaging 13.6 PPG and leads the team with 5.5 APG, but he hasn't been a great perimeter shooter. Currently, Richardson is making just 30.9% of his threes, so it's a good thing that Jermaine Couisnard is finally on the court.

Couisnard transferred in from South Carolina, but he was unable to play the first half of the season as he was sidelined with a knee injury. He has been awesome since his return though, and he was the best player on the court when these teams met earlier in the season. Couisnard finished with 27 points, five rebounds, and three steals as he went six-of-nine from beyond the arc.

It will be interesting to see whether Kel'El Ware plays in this game or not for Oregon. Ware is one of the highest-rated recruits that the Ducks have ever signed, but he was a scratch for their game against Utah over the weekend due to his inconsistency. He has been an awesome defensive presence at times due to his height, but he has been a liability on offense and is willing to pull up far too often for a seven-footer.

Arizona Wildcats Betting Analysis

Azuolas Tubelis is one of the best players in the nation, and there's a good chance that he is the second straight Arizona player to be named PAC 12 Player of the Year after Bennedict Mathurin earned the honor last season. Tubelis is averaging 20.0 PPG and 9.6 RPG this season, and he is sinking 55.9% of his field goals and 42.9% of his threes. The junior from Lithuania has slowly developed into a dominant force in the paint during his time in Tucson, but he had trouble against Oregon in the first meeting between these teams.

The other player to watch for Arizona is Oumar Ballo. He is an inch taller than Tubelis, and Ballo's presence in the paint allows Tubelis to fluster opponents on the perimeter. Ballo is averaging 15.6 PPG and 9.1 RPG for Arizona while making 65.2% of his field goals. He is the team's best defender with 1.6 BPG, and he draws more fouls than almost any other player in the country. Ballo had just 10 points and seven rebounds in his first game against Oregon.

The guard play for Arizona has left a lot to be desired. Kerr Kriisa leads the team with 5.6 APG, but he is making just 38.3% of his field goals. Courtney Ramey is making 40.8% of his threes to help his teammates out in that department, but the Wildcats also give up a lot of turnovers, and that hurts in games where they are large favorites like this one.