The No. 1 ranked Arizona Wildcats enter their final season in the Pac-12 and are a +130 favorite at DraftKings Arizona to win the 2023-2024 Pac-12 regular season title when their season begins December 27.
The Wildcats will face a stiff test from the USC Trojans (+450), defending Pac-12 champion UCLA Bruins (+450), Colorado Buffaloes (+700), and others as they make their quest to win their second Pac-12 title in the last three seasons.
Please join me as I look at the Wildcats’ chances against the rest of the field and share a free pick for the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Championship.
Arizona Wildcats
Arizona is 7-0 on the season and has a pair of solid victories at Duke and a neutral-court victory over Michigan State. The Wildcats are as good a shooting side as there is in the country and average the third-most points per game amongst their D1 peers. According to noted expert Kenneth Pomeroy, the Wildcats are the 5th-best defense, allowing the 27th-fewest ppg nationally.
USC Trojans
The unranked 5-3 USC Trojans are the second favorite to win the Pac-12 regular season title, but they are off to a slow start with a home loss to UC Irvine and neutral court losses to Oklahoma and Gonzaga. The Trojans do have quality neutral court wins over Kansas State and Seton Hall, but their shaky defense needs to improve if USC wants to win the regular season title.
UCLA Bruins
UCLA, the defending Pac-12 regular-season champion, has gotten off to a terrible start. The Bruins have suffered neutral court losses to Marquette and Gonzaga by six total points. Their victories have come against Pomeroy-ranked teams No. 229 or better, but they have a stout defense, play hard, and could win the Pac-12 regular season, and +450 is probably the best price we’ll ever see for this future wager.
Colorado Buffaloes
Colorado has begun their season with a 6-2 record but suffered a neutral court loss to Florida State and lost on the road to arch-rival Colorado State. Losing guard Javon Ruffin for the season hurt the Buffaloes on both ends of the floor, and I’m unsure if Colorado can fix their massive turnover issues or figure out how to make more triples in time to win the regular season. +700 isn’t enough to make this wager.
Free pick: UCLA Bruins +450 at DraftKings AZ
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