Oregon Ducks vs. Washington State Cougars: Picks, Predictions & Statistics
#4 Auburn is undefeated no longer as the Tigers were handed their first loss of the season during an 83-64 road loss to Alabama on Wednesday night.
On Thursday, some of the best teams in basketball hit the hardwood as #8 Oregon, #20 Colorado and #22 Memphis all have action.Â
Here’s a look at today’s NCAA games:
BET OF THE DAY:
Cincinnati Bearcats (+5) @ #22 Memphis Tigers, 7:00 PM:
- Cincinnati has won each of the last six matchups with Memphis and 10 of the last 12 overall. (Stat courtesy of Statschecker).
#22 Memphis (13-3) got back on track and snapped a two-game losing streak, defeating the USF Bulls 68-64.
The Tigers trailed by 14 points in the second half but rallied behind a big effort from freshman forward Precious Achiuwa.
Achiuwa posted a double-double with a team-high 22 points and 11 rebounds on 9-of-12 shooting. Sophomore guard Tyler Harris came off the bench and contributed big, shooting 5-of-7 from the field for 17 points.
Cincinnati (10-6) won a second straight game after taking down the UCF Knights 68-54.
The Bearcats were efficient as a team, shooting over 50 percent from the field led by the efforts of senior Tre Scott. He contributed a double-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Despite an ugly record, Cincinnati has kept up with all levels of competition. Each of the Bearcats’ six losses this season have been by eight points or less.
Memphis has looked shaky over the last three games, and I have my concerns about them after trailing by 14 against a lackluster USF team.
Meanwhile, the Bearcats have begun to catch stride and are a tough out even when they have an off night.
Based on the success they’ve had over Memphis in the past, anticipate Cincinnati to keep this close and even potentially win outright.
2u - Cincinnati Bearcats (+5) @ -110
#8 Oregon Ducks (-11) @ Washington State Cougars, 9:00 PM:
- Oregon has won 18 of their last 20 night games.
- The Ducks have won 14 of the last 16 meetings with the Cougars. (Stat courtesy of Statschecker).
#8 Oregon (14-3) picked up a third consecutive win after taking care of Arizona State 78-69.
The Ducks owe the win to efforts of guards Payton Pritchard and Chris Duarte.
Pritchard went off for a game-high 29 points on 9-of-16 shooting, including six made threes and a team-high six assists. Duarte added 20 points on an efficient shooting night of his own, knocking down 7-of-12 attempts and four threes.
Washington State (10-7) dropped a second straight game and lost ugly to say the least, falling to the Stanford Cardinals 88-62.
The Cougars were out of it essentially from the opening tip-off, trailing by 28 at halftime. Isaac Bonton was the lone bright spot for Washington State, scoring a team-high 15 points with four assists.
As well as the history of success the Ducks have over the Cougars, Washington State doesn’t have much positive going for them.
The spread might appear large, but after losing the way they did against Stanford, my confidence is at an all-time high that Oregon will cover -11.
1u - Oregon Ducks (-11) @ -110
#20 Colorado Buffaloes @ Arizona State Sun Devils (+2.5), 9:00 PM:
- Arizona State has won each of its last six home games. (Stat courtesy of Statschecker).
#20 Colorado (13-3) got back on track in a big way by blowing out the Utah Utes 91-52.
The Buffaloes shot lights out as a team, nearly shooting 60 percent from the field behind double-doubles from Evan Battey and Tyler Bey.
Battey had a team-high 17 points with 10 rebounds on 8-of-11 shooting and Bey had 11 points with a team-high 12 rebounds on 5-of-9 shooting.
The Arizona State (10-6) continued to be on-and-off with consistency, falling to the #9 Oregon Ducks 78-69.
Junior guard Remy Martin matched the explosive efforts of Pritchard stride-for-stride, tying a game-high 29 points with six assists and three rebounds.
Senior guard Rob Edwards came off the bench and was the only other Sun Devils to score in double figures, posting 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting.
The Buffaloes have had the luxury of playing the last six games at home, but they’ll have a tough road test in the Sun Devils.
Arizona State has been about as inconsistently scrappy as they come in college basketball.
With the Sun Devils having won six straight home games, and playing at home against Colorado, look out for Arizona State to sneak up on Buffaloes and at least cover the spread (+2.5).
1u - Arizona State Sun Devils (+2.5) @ -110