Oregon State vs Colorado Picks and Odds

• Oregon State has won five of its last six games entering the Pac-12 tournament final against Colorado (10:30 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 13)
• Colorado beat tourney favorite USC for the third time this season in the semifinals to make the championship game
• Check the odds, analysis, and betting predictions below

Oregon State (16-12, 10-10 Pac-12) advanced to its first Pac-12 tournament title game since 1988 and will play Colorado (22-7. 14-6 Pac-12) in the finals at 10:30pm on ET on Saturday. The No. 5 seed Beavers almost certainly must win the game to make the NCAA Tournament.

Colorado has won six games in a row, a streak that started with a 61-57 victory at Oregon State on Feb. 20, as it prepares to make its first championship game appearance since winning the tournament as the sixth seed in 2012.

Oregon State vs Colorado/USC Odds

Odds as of on March 12.

Oregon State (16-12) took the rubber game of the season series against top-seeded Oregon with a 75-64 semifinal victory, a day after overcoming a 16-point deficit to beat fourth-seeded UCLA 83-79 in overtime in the quarterfinals.

Colorado (22-7) lost all of a 15-point lead in the semifinals against USC and were out-scored 14-2 down the stretch before breaking a 70-70 tie on D’Shawn Schwartz’s left-handed tip-jam with 3.3 seconds remaining.

Spreading the Wealth

As the Beavers have done during their hot streak, they got contributions from many places and even found a new collaborator Friday.

Guard and leading scorer Ethan Thompson (15.6 points per game) had 16 points to lead five Beavers in double figures. Forward Warith Alatishe had another double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds and junior college transfer Rodrigue Andela had his best game as a Beaver with 13 points and nine rebounds.

Andela, 6’8 and 248 pounds, scored in double figures for the first time this season and, with 6’8 Alatishe, helped the Beavers dominate the Ducks inside with a 38-24 rebounding edge. Andela emerged down the stretch against UCLA after starting center Roman Silva was in foul trouble. His 8-point, 10-rebound game earned him 24 minutes against the Ducks.

Alatishe, who had a career-high 22 points against UCLA, and Andela give the Beavers muscle to against Colorado big men Evan Battey and Jabari Walker. Alatishe has double-doubles in four of his last seven games.

Free Throws = Free Points

If this game turns into a free-throw contest down the stretch, the points could add up quickly. Colorado is the best free-throw shooting team in NCAA Division I and Oregon State is not far behind.

https://youtu.be/0IqLj3H1L8E

The Buffaloes actually lowered their season percentage by making 8-of-10 against USC. They entered the game shooting 83.1% from the line, the best in Division I and on a pace that would break the Division I record set by Harvard (82.2%) set in 1983-84.

Oregon State has made 76.2 percent of its free throws and was were 15-of-21 against Oregon. Senior guard Jarod Lucas entered the game tied for fourth in Division I at 91.67% before going 2-for-4. Lucas had 11 points and made three three-pointers.

Mr. Wright Steps Up

Colorado point guard McKinley Wright IV, who orchestrates the Buffaloes’ high pick-and-roll offense and does not necessarily look to score as his first option, took it upon himself to lift the Buffaloes to their third straight victory over USC.

Wright had 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting, going 4-of-6 from three-point range. His 16 attempts were one snort of a season high. Wright added five rebounds and four assists and he made the stop of the game after Schwartz’s tip-jam on Wright’s missed 17-footer from the top of the key.

‼️D'SHAWN SCHWARTZ‼️ pic.twitter.com/OxSLuD6Gm9

— Colorado Men's Basketball (@CUBuffsMBB) March 13, 2021

After a USC timeout, Wright deflected a pass intended for Tahj Eaddy and time expired. Wright is averaging 15.1 points, 4.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game.

With his big game against USC, he became the seventh player in Division I history with 1,800 points, 600 assists and 600 rebounds in his career. Maryland’s Greivis Vasquez is the only Power Six player in that group.

Beavers Have Been Dam Good

Oregon State has been a point-spread monster since losing to Colorado 78-49 in Boulder on Feb. 8, their second loss of 29 more points in a month.

The Beavers are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games and 14-3-1 ATS since their other blowout loss, a 98-64 home thrashing by Arizona on Jan. 14. Its three losses against the number since then have been to USC, Colorado and Oregon, the first two on the road.

Colorado swept the season series with the Beavers and has won four of its last ATS, but it would be unwise to go against an Oregon State that has found itself.

The pick: Oregon State +7.5