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Pac-12 Championship Odds – Arizona State Favored to Win First Title, With UCLA Right Behind

Jordan Horrobin

by Jordan Horrobin in College Basketball

Updated Mar 3, 2021 · 12:31 PM PST

UCLA players sitting on the bench
Arizona State leads the Pac-12 regular season title odds, but UCLA is not far behind. Check out each team's odds and our analysis right here. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire)
  • The Pac-12 season is right around the corner, with the conference’s 20-game schedule set to begin Dec. 2
  • Arizona State is favored to win its first regular-season title in conference history
  • Find odds for all Pac-12 teams, plus analysis on our top pick, in the article below

The Arizona State Sun Devils are in as good of a position as they’ve ever been as a men’s basketball program. They’ve had three-straight 20-win seasons (for only the second time ever), they’ve reached the past two NCAA tournaments, and they figure to have a very promising squad returning for the 2020-21 College Basketball season.

But something is missing — a Pac-12 title. They’ve been in the conference since the 70s, but they’ve never won one.

Perhaps this will be the year, when the Pac-12 begins its 20-game season on Dec. 2 (to be concluded on March 7). The Sun Devils are +230 favorites in the Pac-12 title odds, as you’ll see in the table below.

2021 Pac-12 Regular Season Odds

Team Odds
Arizona State +230
UCLA +300
Oregon +450
Stanford +550
Colorado +1100
USC +1100
Arizona +900
Utah +2000
Washington +3500
California +10000
Washington State +10000
Oregon State +10000

Odds taken Nov. 23 at FanDuel

Recent History

As previously stated, the Sun Devils have never won a Pac-12 championship. Recent history shows that Arizona, Oregon, and Washington have been the dominant teams in this conference.

Since the 2010-11 season, those schools have combined for 10 regular season championships (one was shared between Arizona and Oregon). Only one other school, UCLA in 2012-13, has won in that span.

Last year, Oregon won a hotly contested Pac-12 with a 13-5 conference record. UCLA finished one game behind them, followed by USC and Arizona State (two games apiece), then Arizona and Colorado (three games apiece).

What The Preseason Poll Says

The Pac-12’s media poll suggests that this conference could be a tight one once again.

Five schools received at least one first-place vote, while UCLA, Arizona State, and Oregon finished in a cluster at the top. Ultimately, UCLA was the media’s preseason pick this year.

You might think, does that matter at all? Maybe not, but the Pac-12 media poll has accurately predicted the conference winner in five of the past seven years. Not a bad batting average.

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Case For UCLA

The media’s darlings are in their second season under reigning conference coach of the year Mick Cronin, which means the growing pains are (hopefully) over. After a bit of a rocky start last season, the Bruins won their final seven games to shoot up the conference standings.

All five starters are returning, which is an awfully comforting sight. UCLA also added Johnny Juzang, a former four-star recruit who transferred from Kentucky.

Case For Arizona State

The odds-on favorites have the best player in the Pac-12 in Remy Martin. He could’ve heard his name on draft night, but instead, he returned to college to build off 19.1 points, 4.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game he produced last year.

The Sun Devils’ backcourt features another senior guard, Alonzo Verge Jr., as well as Joshua Christopher, the No. 12 freshman according to 247 Sports. Experience mixed with talent is a very good thing.

Case For Oregon

Yes, Pac-12 player of the year Payton Pritchard is gone. But a pair of guards who averaged double-figures last season are back. There are also four incoming transfers, the most notable of which is LJ Figueroa, who was St. Joes’ leading scorer last season with 14.5 points/game.

Figueroa needs a waiver from the NCAA to be eligible for this season, and it’s not yet clear if he has that.

Our Pick

Perhaps the media bias feels tired, but we’re going with UCLA here. The return of all five starters is very appealing, and Cronin has shown what he can do in building a program (he won three regular-season AAC titles with Cincinnati).

Pick: UCLA +300

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