The Arizona State Sun Devils (22-11) square off with the No. 9 Arizona Wildcats (26-6) for the 3rd time this season Friday. Tip for the semifinal matchup in the Pac-12 Tournament at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is at 11:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Arizona State vs. Arizona odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
Arizona State enters the game on a 2-game win streak after beating USC 77-72 Thursday in the quarterfinals. The Sun Devils have already beaten the Wildcats once this season, an 89-88 victory as 12.5-point underdogs on Feb. 25.
This game has even more meaning as an improbable win could result in a trip to March Madness.
The Wildcats were 3-3 over the final 6 games of the regular season but knocked off Stanford 95-84 as 10-point favorites in the quarterfinals Thursday.
A victory here lands the Sun Devils or the Wildcats in the finals against the winner of the Oregon vs. UCLA semifinal to be played prior to this game Friday.
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Arizona State vs. Arizona odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:10 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Arizona State +255 (bet $100 to win $255) | Arizona -350 (bet $350 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Arizona State +7.5 (-110) | Arizona -7.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 153.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Arizona State vs. Arizona picks and predictions
Prediction
Arizona 83, Arizona State77
Moneyline
PASS.
Although Arizona State won the last meeting, it took a buzzer-beater miracle to do so. This game should not be as close and a buzzer beater will not be in order.
Arizona (-350) is getting primed for a possible Final Four run but this will be a tough rivalry game and you can’t risk 3 1/2 times your potential return on a straight moneyline wager.
Against the spread
BET ARIZONA STATE +7.5 (-110).
After losing the first meeting of the season 67-56 on Dec. 31, Arizona State came back and won the second meeting. Both the Wildcats and the Sun Devils have won all 5 of their neutral site games this season.
Arizona State is playing for a berth in the Big Dance while Arizona, with the recent injuries suffered by UCLA, is aiming for a possible No. 1 seed in the Big Dance.
This will be a tight game and this means 7.5 points is too large of a spread. Taking the underdog is the way to go.
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Over/Under
LEAN OVER 153.5 (-115)
This is a large number, but it is well worth a look anyway.
The last game between these teams finished with 177 points and was a back-and-forth affair.
Arizona ranks 4th in the nation with 83.1 points per game and Arizona State has been able to put up 70.5 points per game of its own.
Arizona State has gone Over in 12 of its last 13 games following a win and it has also gone Over in 8 of its last 9 following an ATS cover.
Arizona has gone Over in 4 straight games and in 4 straight games against a team with a win percentage above .600.
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