Washington State Arizona Betting – Wildcats Look To Keep Rolling In PAC-10

After climbing four spots to No. 12 in the national rankings, the Arizona Wildcats will look to extend their most recent win streak to six games on Thursday night, when they take on the Washington State Cougars. Derrick Williams and the Wildcats should get a warm reception in their return home on the heels of a three-game winning streak, with plenty of motivation in the chase for a PAC-10 championship.

• Washington State Cougars @ Arizona Wildcats (12)
• Thursday February 17, 2011 – 8:30 PM ET
• McKale Center, Phoenix, Arizona
• Online Sports Betting Odds: Wildcats – 3.5

While Arizona returns home following a successful three-game trip, the Cougars open up one of its own at the McKale Center. This contest marks the first of three straight road games for Washington State over the next 10 days.

College Basketball Betting Preview: Washington State

The Cougars have struggled most with consistency this season, splitting their past six games with alternating results, including most recently a win over the California Golden Bears on the heels of a loss to the Stanford Cardinal. Washington State got a good boost from their bench in that most recent win, with reserve Brock Motum scoring 19 points in a 75-71 victory. The Cougars had five played finish in double figures against California, but they’ll need a lot more from starters Abe Lodwick and Marcus Capers, who didn’t put up a single point in 37 combined minutes. That kind of effort won’t get the job done against the PAC-10 leaders, especially considering it will be away from home. Washington State is .500 against ranked sports betting opponents this season, but that includes a 65-63 homes loss to Arizona in late January.

College Basketball Betting Preview: Arizona

The Wildcats own the 12th best shooting percentage in the country, a big reason for them registering an average of 78 points per game, which is the 20th best mark in the nation. Williams has led the way in both scoring and rebounding with averages of 19.2 and eight respectively, and although he scored just 11 in Arizona’s most recent win over the Arizona State Sun Devils, he was nearly perfect from the field. The fact that the sophomore guard has been able to draw double and even triple teams has opened up the floor for his teammates, including defensive specialist Kyle Fogg, who scored a game-high 26 points against the Sun Devils. The Wildcats play four of their final six games at home, and need to take advantage of consecutive visits from Washington and Washington State to extend their lead of the USC Trojans in the PAC-10.

College Basketball Betting: Outlook & Pick

In the midst of their longest sports betting bonus winning streak of the season, the Wildcats can really make a push for another PAC-10 crown with a couple of back-to-back games against weaker opponents. Williams has been an absolute force all season, and as long as he continues to open things up for his teammates Arizona will continue to roll.

College Basketball Betting Pick: Arizona Wildcats