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Pac-12 Tournament Odds 2022: Picks and Predictions

Jack Magruder

by Jack Magruder in College Basketball

Updated Mar 8, 2022 · 7:29 PM PST

Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin celebrating a basket
Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin (0) reacts after scoring against Oregon during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
  • The Pac-12 Conference Tournament will be played March 9-12 at the T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas, Nev. The top four seeds receive first-round byes while the bottom eight seeds play March 9 for a spot in the quarterfinals.
  • No. 1 seed and No. 2 ranked Arizona opened the season with 11 straight victories and later ran off a nine-game winning streak. The Wildcats have won three of the last six tourneys, twice as the No. 1 seed.
  • See the Pac-12 Tournament odds, seeds, bracket, and preview, below

The Pac-12 Tournament will be played March 9-12 at the T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas, Nev., the site of the previous 10 tourneys.  The bottom eight seeds will play March 9, with the four winners joining the top four seeds in the quarterfinals March 10. The final is March 12.

No. 1 seed Arizona has won the last two times it has been the top seed (2015, 2018) and won as the No. 2 seed in 2017. No. 6 seed Oregon State upset three higher-seeded teams to win the 2021 tournament after Arizona (three) and Oregon (two) won the previous five.

Pac-12 Tournament Odds

Team Odds
#1 Arizona Wildcats -125
#2 UCLA Bruins +175
#4 Oregon Ducks +800
#3 USC Trojans +1000
#5 Washington State Cougars +1800
#6 Colorado Buffaloes +3800
#7 Arizona State Sun Devils +4000
#10 Utah Utes +5000
#8 Stanford Cardinal +5500
9 Washington Huskies +8000
#11 California Bears +10000
#12 Oregon State Beavers +15000

Odds from Barstool Sportsbook on March 8.

Arizona Playing To Lock No. 1 NCAA seed

No. 2 Arizona (28-3, 18-2) is the most complete team in the league. The Wildcats are athletic, move the ball, can score from inside and out and have a potential 2022 NBA lottery pick in sophomore guard 6’7 Bennedict Mathurin, the Pac-12 Player of the Year.

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Mathurin (17.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 66 threes) is one of four double-digit scorers for the Wildcats, who dominated the league awards list after a Pac-12 record 18 league wins and will be among the favorites when the Final Four odds are posted.

Center 7’1 Christian Koloko (11.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.8 blocked shots) was named the Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player. Pelle Larson was named Sixth Man of the Year and Tommy Lloyd was named Coach of the Year in his first season after 20 years as an assistant at Gonzaga.

The Wildcats enter the tournament as a near-lock to claim a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and even a first-round loss might not cost them. They are DraftKings’ second choice to win it at +600. Azuolas Tubelis (14.6 points, 6.3 rebounds) and distance shooker Kerr Kriisa (10.1 points., 75 threes) are effective.

Last 5 Pac-12 Tournament Champions

Pac-12 Champion Year
Oregon State 2021
Not Held 2020
Oregon 2019
Arizona 2018
Arizona 2017
Oregon 2016

On a Clear Day, UCLA

The Bruins (23-6, 15-5) were the sentimental darlings of the 2021 NCAA Tournament after a hit-or-miss regular season, and they have maintained their NCAA form his year while playing through the occasional absences of top players Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez Jr.

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As a year ago, the Bruins are among the most efficient teams in the nation behind point guard Tyger Campbell (11.7 points, 4.3 assists). Their 1.55 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks sixth in Division I and their 9.1 turnovers per game are third in the Power Six behind Wisconsin and Iowa as they await the projected March Madness bracket.

UCLA split with Arizona and No. 3 seed USC and was swept by Oregon, which is on the other side of the bracket.

Juzang (16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds) missed two late February becauses of an ankle injury but returned in a 75-68 victory over USC in the regular-season finale, although he seemed clearly affected, going 4 of 13 from the field in 32 minutes off the bench. Jaquez (13.3 points, 5.5 rebounds) has picked up the slack, with 57 points (21 of 33 shooting), 15 rebounds and five assists in the last two games.

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USC Stumbles In

The Trojans have won six of their last eight and are safely in the NCAA field, but they lost their last two to Arizona (a 91-71 blowout at home) and UCLA, their first loss to the Bruins in three seasons.

Unlike the Evan Mobley-led group a year ago, the long, athletic Trojans lack a true go-to player despite having four double-digit scorers led by Evan’s brother 6’10 Isaiah Mobley (14.6 points. 8.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists). They have been a go-against recently, 4-8 ATS in their last 12.

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Never Discount Oregon. But …

Oregon has made three of the last five title games, but that is a very long shot here. Not only have the Ducks lost three games in a row, five of six and six of eight, but point guard Will Richardson (14.1 points, 3.6 assists) is expected to miss the tournament because of illness.

Richardson (14.1 points, 3.6 assists) sat out the 94-74 loss at Washington State last Saturday. He took stitches after being hit in the head in a loss to USC on Feb. 26 and cleared concussion protocols but apparently still is bothered. He has made questionable decisions at times this season, but he will be missed.

This and That

It is tempting to say no one but the big three has a chance until you remember Oregon State beat higher seeds UCLA, Oregon and Colorado to win it last year. Oregon State will not do that this year. But steady Colorado? Run-and-gun Arizona State? Each has won seven of their last eight, and the Buffaloes beat Arizona 79-63  in the penultimate week of the regular season.

Pac-12 Tournament Prediction

Oregon has been the smart default play here in recent seasons because the Ducks always are undervalued at this time of the year, but that requires a big a stretch now. Arizona and UCLA are the best two teams in the field, and because they are opposite sides of the bracket would not meet until the final game. UCLA can beat Arizona if it slows the tempo as it did in its 76-66 win in Pauley on Feb. 3.

The pick: UCLA (+175)

All Conference Tournament Previews:

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