The Arizona Wildcats Are the Team To Beat in The Pac-12
We Predict Upsets After Looking at The 2024 Pac-12 Conference Odds
The Pac-12 will never be the same after this year.
Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington are headed to the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah are going to the Big 12.
Furthermore, California and Stanford are headed to the ACC, which leaves Oregon State and Washington State in the Pac-12 without company.
What we’re getting at is that you should enjoy this conference tournament. You won’t get many of these rivalries ever again.
The Pac-12 Tournament will begin on Wednesday, March 13, and drag into Saturday, March 16, when the league crowns a champion. Some teams are already slated to make the NCAA Tournament and play in future college basketball matchups. For others in the Pac-12, they’ll have to win the entire tournament to land an automatic bid.
Take a look at the 2024 Pac-12 Conference odds below for our predictions for college basketball today.
| Team | Odds *Last Updated: 3/12/2024 |
|---|---|
| Arizona | -160 |
| Colorado | +425 |
| Washington State | +500 |
| Oregon | +1100 |
| Utah | +1600 |
| USC | +2000 |
| Washington | +2800 |
| UCLA | +4000 |
| Stanford | +6600 |
| California | +10000 |
| Arizona State | +15000 |
| Oregon State | +30000 |
Pac-12 Bracket Format
In the Pac-12, the first four teams will get a bye game. However, each college basketball team will at least have to start their journey in the quarterfinals.
On Wednesday, we’ll have four games on the slate in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The No. 6 seed, Utah, will take on No. 11 Arizona State. The winner of that game will face No. 3 Colorado in the next round.
We’ll also have No. 7 California take on No. 10 Stanford in the first round. The winner of that game would face Washington State in the quarterfinals.
No. 5 UCLA will take on No. 12 Oregon State. The winner of that game would face Oregon.
Finally, No. 8 Washington is slated to take on No. 9 USC. Whoever wins that game would face No. 1 seed Arizona in the quarters.
This Pac-12 bracket isn’t reseeded. The tournament will play out until we have a stand-alone game for the Championship on Saturday.
Best Value On The Board
Arizona Wildcats (-160)
The Arizona Wildcats just lost their most recent game to the USC Trojans, 78-65 on the road. That was Arizona’s second loss since January 27.
Maybe it was good that Arizona got the loss out now, before the Tournament.
Not only is Arizona the favorite to win the Pac-12, but the Wildcats are also expected to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Arizona finished the season 24-7 and is ranked No. 6 via KenPom. However, a Pac-12 Championship would surely put them into the No. 1 spot when the NCAA Tournament Selection Show is held on Sunday.
The Wildcats have two of the best college basketball players in the conference, including Caleb Love and Oumar Ballo. Ball averaged a double-double with rebounds, and Caleb Love was one of the best scorers in the conference this season.
Better yet, both players are seniors with plenty of experience. That helps when your two best players are upperclassmen.
That said, Arizona led the Pac-12 in offensive and defensive efficiency when playing other Pac-12 teams. The offense was spectacular this season, shooting an effective field goal percentage of 55.5%. The Wildcats also added 35.5% of offensive rebounds, hit a league-best 54.8% from inside the arc, and got to the foul line at the highest rate in the conference this season.
On the other hand, the defense didn’t stand out as much. However, Arizona was above average in most categories, which allowed them to add the best defensive efficiency in the conference.
USC Trojans (+2000)
While Arizona has the best chance of winning the Tournament, consider USC as an option. The USC Trojans had massive expectations coming into the season. Instead, the Trojans finished the year with a losing record of 14-17.
Still, USC finished the regular season with four wins in its last five college basketball games, including a home win over Arizona.
USC will have to get through Washington on Wednesday. But if the Trojans do that, they’d take on Arizona again in the second round. The Trojans would have the momentum and genuinely have enough talent to get by against Arizona.
USC is led by Isaiah Collier, a freshman guard who scored 16.6 points per game. The team also has a notable player in Boogie Ellis and a really great defender in Bronny James. Whatever happened this season is over. The Trojans have one more chance at an NCAA Tournament berth.
At +2000, there’s legitimate value there.
Colorado Buffaloes (+750)
Although the Colorado Buffaloes are the No. 3 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament, the oddsmakers have the Buffaloes as the second-highest odds on the board.
Colorado would have to face Utah or Arizona State in the first round. To be fair, Arizona State is a very tricky opponent. The Sun Devils have already added wins over Utah and Colorado this college basketball season.
But if Colorado gets dealt Utah, which is more expected, the Buffaloes should at least get into the semifinals with a matchup against Washington State.
Colorado and Washington State split the season series. However, Colorado’s offense is more appealing. The Buffaloes shot 39.5% from deep and have added 77% from the foul line in Pac-12 play, the best rate in the conference. In Tournament play, you will want good shooters from the foul line.
On defense, Colorado finished the regular season ranked 5th in Pac-12 play. That’s an above-average number.
The Buffaloes held Pac-12 teams to 24% offensive rebounds and didn’t allow many Pac-12 teams to get to the foul line this this year. On top of that, Pac-12 opponents shot just 33.4% from downtown against Colorado this year.
The Buffaloes can win the three-point battle, earn more rebounds, and get to the foul line more while hitting at a very high rate.
That’s a team we can stand by. It might get tricky at times. Colorado might not even cover the spread in their games. But we just need them to win outright with these college basketball odds.
Don’t be afraid to take Colorado when looking at the 2024 Pac-12 Conference odds. Howev r, our favorite bet is still the USC Trojans at +2000, which is a solid longshot play.
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