Washington vs Washington State Predictions, Odds & Player Props (March 7)

• The Washington Huskies visit the #18 Washington State Cougars in the Pac-12 finale for both teams tonight
• The Cougars edged the Huskies in OT in the first meeting between the teams in Seattle
• See the Washington vs Washington State predictions, odds, and player props on Thursday, March 7

Still harboring slim hopes of a Pac-12 regular-season title, the #18 Washington State Cougars (23-7, 14-5 Pac-12, 16-1 home, 16-14 ATS) host their arch-rival, the Washington Huskies (16-14, 8-11 Pac-12, 4-6 away, 16-14 ATS), in the basketball version of the Apple Cup on Thursday night in Pullman, WA.

Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 pm PT/9:00 pm ET at Beasley Coliseum and the hometown Cougars are sizable favorites.

Washington Huskies vs Washington State Cougars Odds

Thursday’s college basketball odds list Wazzu as 6.5-point home chalk and -275 on the moneyline. Just 4-6 in true road games this season, the Huskies come back at +225 to win. The game total is currently 149.5. The first meeting between the teams in Seattle ended in a 90-87 Washington State victory in OT. The game was tied 83-83 (164 total points) after regulation.

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Odds as of March 7 at ESPN Bet. Click here to check out the ESPN Bet app in NC.

In the latest projected March Madness bracket, Washington State is a #10 seed while the Huskies are on the outside looking in. Just 16-14 on the year and 71st in the NET rankings, Washington likely needs to win the Pac-12 Tournament to book a ticket to March Madness.

Huskies Trending in Wrong Direction

The Huskies have played 14 games against teams rated in KenPom’s top 100 this season, going just 3-11 in those games. Since beating #15 Gonzaga (78-73 home) in early December, they have only scored one other top-100 victory this season (98-73 over Utah at home).

Last time out, Washington dropped an 82-75 decision to USC in Seattle, getting lit up for 31 points by Isaiah Collier. Keion Brooks had 20 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks for the Huskies in a losing effort.

The subpar defensive performance was nothing new for Washington, which sits 35th in offensive efficiency but just 110th in defensive efficiency.

The loss to USC dropped Washington to just 4-5 straight-up in its last nine games. Their only true-road wins this season came at Seattle (129th at KenPom) by a point in OT, at Cal (109th) by two, at Oregon State (158th) by 12, and at Arizona State (116th) by two in OT.

Cougars Win 10 of Last 11

After a disappointing 1-3 start to Pac-12 play, the Cougars have been on fire. Washington State has won 13 of its last 15 conference games and 10 of its last 11. If not for a 73-61 loss at Arizona State on Feb. 24, Washington State would be the outright leader in the conference. As things stand, the Cougars (14-5) are half a game behind Arizona (14-4), which still has to face UCLA and USC, both on the road.

If the Cougars win tonight and the Wildcats drop either of those games, the teams will share the Pac-12 regular-season title. (Colorado and Oregon are tied for third at 11-7 and out of contention.)

Wazzu responded to the Arizona State loss with a pair of wins at home over USC (75-72) and UCLA (77-65).  Jaylen Wells had a season-high 27 points in Saturday’s win over the Bruins, including a perfect 10-of-10 showing from the free-throw line. Leading scorer Myles Rice (15.3 PPG) added 18 on 8-of-15 shooting from the field along with four assists, four rebounds, and a steal.

Wazzu brings a much more balanced team to Thursday’s contest. Washington State is 47th in offensive efficiency and 35th on defense, with four players averaging between 10.3 and 15.3 PPG. They play at a much slower pace than the Huskies (317th vs 30th) so don’t average as many points per game, but they connect at a better clip from three (35.3% vs 35.0%) and are much better on the boards. The Cougars are 74th in the nation in offensive-rebound percentage (32.4%) and 41st on defense (74.6%).

The Huskies are 235th on offense and 162 on defense.

Huskies vs Cougars Player Props

Player props as of March 7 at DraftKings. Claim the pre-reg bonus at DraftKings North Carolina.  

Brooks is listed with a game-high point total of 20.5 which is nearly a full point under his average (21.3 PPG), a logical decrease given Wazzu’s rock-solid defense and slow tempo.

Rice is the highest among the Cougars at 16.5, a point higher than his average of 15.5 PPG.

Washington Huskies vs Washington State Cougars Prediction

The Huskies have been a bad road team this year, especially against top-tier competition. The Cougars, meanwhile, are a near-perfect 16-1 at Beasley Coliseum, their only loss coming to Oregon (89-84) back in early January, and 9-7 against the spread.

The 6.5-point spread is fairly big considering its an intense rivalry game and Wazzu plays at a very slow tempo, but I am going to back the Cougars at a slightly smaller alt spread.

Washington vs Washington State pick: Washington State -5.5 (-135) at DraftKings

Sascha Paruk’s 2023-24 NCAAM betting record:

• ATS: 16-17 (-2.48 units)
• Moneyline: 2-9 (-9.48 units)
• Over/Under: 0-1 (-1.00 units)
• Player props: 2-2 (+0.78 units)

All wagers one unit unless expressly stated otherwise.