The Arizona Wildcats delivered a statement with their 34th win of the season Friday, easily beating No. 16 LIU, 92-58.
Tommy Lloyd’s Wildcats are now one win away from reaching the Sweet Sixteen for the third consecutive year.
Utah State advanced after a 10-point win over Villanova in the Round of 64, as the Mountain West champions closed out the game with a strong 13-3 run to move on.
Arizona enters this No. 1 vs. No. 9 contest as 11.5-point favorites. The Over/Under is set at 155.5 total points on FanDuel Sportsbook.
Arizona vs. Utah State prediction, best bet
It was a wire-to-wire win for Arizona in the opening round, as they jumped out to an early 12-2 lead over LIU and never looked back. The Wildcats led by as many as 38 points, shot 53 percent from the field, and outrebounded their opponent 52-31 on the boards.
Brayden Burries contributed 18 points, including an impressive 4-of-6 from 3-point range, as one of four Wildcats to reach double-digit scoring. Koa Peat also had a strong performance, adding 15 points and seven rebounds.
This team can beat you in many ways and essentially has seven starters, with valuable upperclassmen Anthony Dell’Orso and Tobe Awaka providing quality minutes off the bench.
Metrics-wise, they are in the top five in offense and defense per KenPom. They also defend 2s very well, limiting opponents to just 43.5 percent inside the arc per Torvik rankings entering this contest.
This is key, as the Aggies made a living on the opposite side of undersized Villanova, pouring in 42 paint points. Mason Falslev and MJ Collins Jr. combined for 32 second-half points to erase an early 10-point deficit, pushing Utah State to advance.
Though the Aggies’ 2-for-16 performance from beyond the arc was sufficient to defeat that particular set of Wildcats on Friday, it will not be enough to overcome Arizona.
There’s a reason why Arizona has the second-best odds (+350, bet365) to cut down the nets in April.
Betting on College Basketball?
While one might consider the prospects of Utah State to channel an upset, the Wildcats were the outright Big 12 champion after starting the regular season 23-0 and navigating a challenging conference schedule.
Arizona has proven to be an excellent bet in neutral-site games this season, going 7-1 against the spread (ATS) heading into this Round of 32 matchup.
This team’s roster construction makes it perfectly suited for a deep run, regardless of the venue.
Back this juggernaut to keep rolling.
The Play: Arizona -11.5 (-115, BetMGM)
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Mike Turay is a sports journalist and editor who closely follows the NBA, NFL, college sports and UFC. He has demonstrated expertise in both NBA and NFL player prop bets for nearly three years. Mike is also highly knowledgeable about the sportsbook offer landscape, frequently trying and reviewing the latest apps and sites.
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