Pac-10 basketball odds - UCLA favored in Pac-10
Bet sports online: UCLA, Arizona will battle for the crown
- Bruins on track for 31st Pac-10 title
- Arizona, Arizona State battling for second
- Solid value in picking USC, California
The UCLA Bruins stormed to their 30th Pac-10 title last season before falling in the Final Four to Memphis. Online sportsbook odds have the Bruins as a +200 favorite heading into the new NCAA hoops season, but college basketball betting says Arizona will rebound after a lackluster and turbulent season, and Arizona State should also challenge the Bruins’ grip on the Pac-10.
Pac-10 basketball odds have made the Bruins a +200 favorite this year, even with the loss of NBA first-round picks Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook. Senior guards Darren Collison and Josh Shipp are back to lead the way, and Shipp will be eager to improve on a few poor performances in the NCAA Tournament. Jrue Holiday leads a highly-touted freshman class, but the Bruins are going to have to find a player (or players) to fill Love’s shoes in the post.
Arizona is surprisingly next with college basketball odds of +250, but it will be interesting to see how they deal with a new coach. Lute Olsen quit after 24 years as Arizona head coach; he missed most of last year with health and personal problems.
The Wildcats, under Kevin O’Neill, got away from the uptempo game Arizona is famous for. Russ Pennell takes over the reins and get the Wildcats running again behind Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill, who will try to fill void left by NBA first-rounder Jerryd Bayless. The Wildcats are young and small in the post, so expect a perimeter-based game from Arizona.
Arizona State will be aiming to overtake its state rival after a 21-win season, and it enters this campaign with Pac-10 basketball odds of +500. Guard James Harden and power forward Jeff Pendergraph are a deadly inside-outside combination, but the rest of the Sun Devils are going to have to step up if Arizona State wants to be a legitimate Pac-10 threat.
The bench will be very young, meaning Harden and Pendergraph could be forced to play big minutes, wearing them down for the conference tournament.
Two solid darkhorses to consider in NCAA basketball odds are California and USC, who are both rated by college basketball betting at +800. The Golden Bears were awful in conference play last year, but they have a new coach (Mike Montgomery) and they are very experienced with seven juniors on the squad. The Golden Bears are small, but that seems to be a running theme in the Pac-10.
The Trojans lost O.J. Mayo to the NBA lottery, but incoming DeMar DeRozan has the same type of star quality as Mayo did. Look for forward Taj Gibson to break out in the post this season for the Trojans.
WASHINGTON’S PICK: The Pac-10 basketball odds for Arizona are deceiving, as the change of Olsen to Pennell is massive. Budinger only came back to play for Olsen, so he will have to lead the team behind Pennell now.
The battle will come between UCLA and Arizona State, and it will be determined by the strength of the role players. The Bruins have a deeper bench, meaning the likes of Collison and Shipp will be fresh down the line. In the end, bet on the UCLA Bruins to use their experience and depth to win their 31st conference title.
Head over to the betonline.com Sportsbook for more props on college basketball and Pac-10 basketball odds.
Washington Tucker was practically raised at Rucker Park. Though a freak knee injury cost him a major college basketball scholarship, his “sixth-sense” on the hardwood has translated into a spectacular career in basketball handicapping.
