Oregon vs Colorado Picks and Odds
- #17 Oregon is a 2.5-point road underdog versus Colorado on Thursday (Jan. 7th, 11 pm EST)
- The Ducks have won eight straight, with seven of those victories coming by at least 10 points
- See below for analysis, odds and a betting prediction
#17 Oregon (8-1, 3-0 Pac-12) puts its eight-game winning streak on the line Thursday (Jan. 7th, 11 pm EST) when they travel to Colorado to face the Buffaloes (7-2, 1-2 Pac-12). The Ducks are fresh off an impressive home victory over Stanford, while Colorado fell to UCLA last time out.
#17 Oregon vs Colorado Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon Ducks | +2.5 (-118) | +116 | Over 140.5 (-110) |
| Colorado Buffaloes | -2.5 (-104) | -136 | Under 140.5 (-110) |
Odds taken Jan. 6th at FanDuel.
Thursday will mark Oregon’s first road game in nearly a month, but the Ducks opened up as a 2.5-point underdog. Since opening the season with a loss to Mizzou as 3.5-point favorites, Oregon has been flawless straight up, and 5-3 against the spread.
Ducks Dominating the Competition
Saturday’s 73-56 victory over the Cardinal was the Ducks fourth straight double-digit win. All but one of their victories have been by at least 10 points this season, with five of those wins coming 13 or more.
Moving into the top 20.#GoDucks #AlwaysUs pic.twitter.com/OdfSJiuUEa
— Oregon Men's Basketball (@OregonMBB) January 4, 2021
Senior point guard Chris Duarte led the way versus Stanford pouring in 23, while leading scorer Eugene Omoruyi chipped in 15 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. The Ducks splashed 13 triples, including 10 on their final 19 attempts, which helped them outscore the Cardinal by 19 points in the second half.
Third career POTW award for @C_Duarte5 #GoDucks #AlwaysUs pic.twitter.com/0mttdZJlJR
— Oregon Men's Basketball (@OregonMBB) January 4, 2021
They won the rebounding, assist and turnover battle and held their opponent under 67 points for the fifth time this season. They rank first in the Pac-12 in 3’s made per game, second in points per game and third in total rebounding.
At the other end of the floor, no program in the conference allows fewer second chance points, and only one other squad yields a lower opponent shooting percentage.
Can Colorado Hang with Oregon?
The Buffaloes loss to the Bruins was their second in their last three conference games. They shot just 26% from beyond the arc, and lost the rebounding, assist and turnover battle.
1-1 in LA 🎥
Next up: Oregon at our place pic.twitter.com/r42p0OizCl
— Colorado Men's Basketball (@CUBuffsMBB) January 3, 2021
Senior guard McKinley Wright paced the offense with 12 points, but no other starter produced more than 10. Wright averages a team-high 15.5 points and 5.2 assists per outing, but his three worst games this season have come against three of Colorado’s four toughest opponents.
Wright failed to eclipse 12 points against UCLA, Arizona and Tennessee, which are three of the four top-34 teams the Buffaloes have faced. Not surprisingly, Colorado is 1-3 both straight up and ATS in those contests, and will need an excellent effort from Wright if they want to keep pace with Oregon. Outside of Wright, only one other player averages 10 points per game, and no one else on the roster averages more than 2.4 assists.
Kin leads us with 5
11-11 | 1H 10:20
📺 https://t.co/gpLGlDgfuS pic.twitter.com/5456cNnXq5
— Colorado Men's Basketball (@CUBuffsMBB) January 3, 2021
Another area of concern for potential Buffaloes backers is the Colorado defense. They rank eighth out of 12 Pac-12 teams in points allowed, and only two teams allow a higher field goal percentage and force fewer turnovers.
The Verdict
Given the perceived advantages Oregon has in this matchup it’s surprising that they’re a 2.5-point underdog. A big reason for that however, is the Ducks’ abysmal history at Colorado. Oregon is 0-7 in Boulder under head coach Dana Altman, making it in the only Pac 12 building he’s failed to lead his program to a victory at.
According to KenPom, Colorado has the biggest home court advantage in the Nation over the past few seasons, in large part due to the altitude and the raucous fans.
At least one of those factors will be mitigated on Thursday thanks to COVID, while this is a veteran Ducks team that has plenty of experience in this building. I’m betting on Oregon not only covering, but getting the outright win.
Pick: Oregon Ducks moneyline (+116)
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
