The Oregon Ducks take on the Colorado Buffaloes in the second round of the Pac-12 Tournament Thursday. Tip-off from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is set for 5:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Oregon vs. Colorado odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Oregon entered the Pac-12 Tournament as the fifth seed and defeated Oregon State 86-72 in the opening round. The Ducks entered the tournament as losers of three straight outings and five of their last six games.
Oregon was just 12-19 against the spread (ATS) on the season and was just 7-8 straight up (SU) away from home. The Ducks ended the regular season fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (44.4).
The Buffaloes enter with a slightly better 12-16-2 ATS record and were 8-5 SU away from home. Colorado had a three-game losing skid in the middle of the season but followed it up by winning seven of its last eight.
Colorado is 1-1 this season against the Ducks, beating them 82-78 at Oregon Jan. 25 and then losing 66-51 at home Feb. 3.
See also: Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports
Oregon vs. Colorado odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:43 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Oregon -112 (bet $112 to win $100) | Colorado -108 (bet $108 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Oregon -1.5 (+100) | Colorado +1.5 (-125)
- Over/Under (O/U): 136.5 (O: -115 | U: -107)
[tipico]
Oregon vs. Colorado odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Colorado 74, Oregon 70
Money line
BET on COLORADO (-108).
The Buffaloes are playing better basketball at a better time.
They were 13-8 entering February and then ripped off seven wins in nine games. Oregon is just 5-6 straight up since the start of February, ending the season with losses at Washington and at Washington State.
Colorado is also better at things that win you games down the stretch. They finished first in the conference in three-point percentage and free-throw percentage.
Oregon was eighth and tenth in those categories, respectively. As we saw with Xavier’s Wednesday loss, free-throw shooting can have a massive impact, and Colorado should get a nice boost due to their ability to convert at the line.
Against the spread
PASS.
Colorado doesn’t have a single 1-point loss on the season so I’ll take them to win outright.
Over/Under
LEAN to the OVER 136.5 (-115).
While Oregon may not be a great covering team, what it does well is score and get shots up. The Ducks sit second in the Pac-12 conference in field goal attempts per game.
They rank 162 in possessions per game in the nation which is just in the top half. They’re averaging 72.1 points per game and are 18-11-2 O/U on the season.
The Buffaloes are 14-16 O/U and rank first in three-point and field throw percentages in the Pac 12 and are third in field-goal percentage within the conference.
Colorado can score efficiently and Oregon can bring the pace, two reasons why I favor the OVER 136.5 (-115) here.
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