Team Total Play For The Only Ranked Matchup Of The Evening

Washington State vs. Arizona, 11:00 ET

It wasn't a great day yesterday for college hoops, I went just 1-1 in the plays, but still an acceptable fate I suppose. The loss came on a play in the game between Florida and Alabama. If you watched the game, it was a fantastic performance, one that both teams really tried to win and gave full effort. In my opinion, when two teams give full effort in a basketball game, there isn't a better sport or thing to watch. That doesn't always happen, of course, but this one came down to the wire and made me even more excited for March Madness. Now we are going to take a shot on the only ranked matchup of the day between Washington State and Arizona. 

You probably would've won some money off of me if you asked me to name Washington State being ranked in the nation. Not only that, but they are ranked 21st, so there are a few teams behind them. This isn't a knock on them, but they do somewhat fly under the radar. They've quietly put together a very strong season going 20-6 already and 11-4 within the Pac-12. The Cougars have won eight straight games, but only a couple of them were against truly quality opponents. They dominated Utah and won by 22 points. If they were going to drop a game it would've been during the stretch of three straight road games against Washington, Oregon State, and Oregon. They came out unscathed with only one being a big sweat, winning 90-87 in overtime over Washington. This is going to be a loss for Washington State, but the biggest question is how much of a loss? Why am I so sure of the loss? First off, I think Arizona is out for revenge - they lost to the Cougars on Washington State's home court 73-70. Almost all of Washington State's losses this season have come on the road. This isn't a shock, it is the case for a lot of good basketball teams. The Cougars are one of those teams that are a bit more unconventional than typical college teams - they are led by forwards instead of guards. And, they aren't really stretch forwards either, they are mostly big men.

On the other side, Arizona has to have circled this game on their calendar. They've only lost five games this season, and one of their past two losses have come against Washington State. Arizona has yet to lose on their home court, but they also haven't completely dominated either. Let's look at their home games since the start of the year. They won by 47 against Colorado and 19 against Utah, which put them off to a really good start. Then they beat USC by 15 points, but just six points over UCLA. Then they beat Cal by 26 and Stanford by 11. Their most recent home win was against Arizona State and they won by 45. While some of those numbers are blowout numbers, others were closer than they should've been. This is a good spot for Arizona knowing that they were just at home against Arizona State, now play a home game tonight, and they have another home game after this. This is usually more important in the pros, but college kids are more comfortable in their own gyms. That means the stars, and role players, should perform better for Arizona. 

To be honest, I actually think that the Cougars have a possibility of a backdoor cover here. The line is now at -13.5 for Arizona, and I think the Cougars could be one of the teams that at least keep it close. I'll be really clear here, Arizona will win this game, but it is possible that they don't cover. What I think is the over probably hits, but I think the best bet is to take over 81.5 for Arizona. They average 90 points per game and are in a spot where they should excel. I'll take the team total over. 

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on Twitter: @futureprez2024