The final game of the day in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament will pit the Oregon State Beavers against the Arizona State Sun Devils. Oregon State finished 11th out of 12 teams in this conference this season, while the Sun Devils need a win here to help their NCAA Tournament candidacy. As we make our college basketball picks for this contest, we keep in mind the importance of this game for its higher-seeded combatant.
Oregon State vs Arizona State Betting Pick
| ℹ️ The Pick: | Arizona State -11 |
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This game will be played at T-Mobile Arena at 11:30 PM ET on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.
Why Bet on Arizona State:
✅ Arizona State went 2-0 against Oregon State this season, including a double-digit win at home. They will get one more double-digit win over the Beavers to advance to the quarterfinals in the Pac-12 Tournament.
✅ Oregon State had lost four games in a row prior to the final day of the regular season. They broke that losing streak by beating a lowly Cal team, but they have not beaten a higher-caliber opponent in about a month when they beat USC in early February.
✅ Arizona State is 3-0 in neutral site games this season, while Oregon State is 0-3 in such contests.
Oregon State Beavers: Looking to Break the Dam With Tournament Win
Going into the Pac-12 Tournament, the Oregon State Beavers are the 11th seed out of 12 teams. They finished ahead of only the Cal Golden Bears in the conference standings in the regular season. But the beauty of college basketball is that they can win a few games in a row during this tournament and still earn their way into the NCAA Tournament via automatic bid.
To advance through this first round matchup against Arizona State, the Beavers are going to try and slow the game down and reduce the number of possessions. Oregon State ranks 336th out of 363 Division I teams in adjusted tempo according to Kenpom. They would greatly prefer this game to see a score in the 60s, where a smaller number of possessions could lead to an upset.
Arizona State Sun Devils: Now Or Never In Pac-12 Tournament
Arizona State is a heavy favorite going into this first round matchup in the Pac-12 Tournament. Some of that has to do with the Sun Devils being the better team, but their sense of urgency coming into this game is also a factor. Arizona State has to have this game if they want to remain in consideration for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, making this Oregon State vs Arizona State contest one of the biggest games of the day.
The Sun Devils come into this contest having lost two games in a row, both of which came in Los Angeles. They fell on the road against USC and UCLA, both of whom are higher on the tournament totem pole than Arizona State is. Against a weaker opponent here, we should see the Sun Devils look more like the team that earned March Madness consideration with their overall body of work this season.
Pac-12 Bubble Breakdown
There are a couple of teams for whom the Pac-12 Tournament will be especially important. Arizona State is one of those teams, as the Sun Devils enter Wednesday night as one of Joe Lunardi’s first four teams out of the NCAA Tournament field. But they are not the only team in the Pac-12 that are in need of wins in Las Vegas to help their chances of qualifying for the tourney.
The Oregon Ducks are also in that position, as they are listed by Lunardi as one of the his next four teams out of the field. That means we could get another couple of Pac-12 teams in the NCAA Tournament if they put forth strong showings in the Pac-12 Tournament, and other bubble teams falter.
