Colorado Buffaloes vs Arizona Wildcats Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/04/2024

Game Time: 9:30 pm ET, Thursday, January 4, 2024

Venue:  McKale Memorial Center, Tucson, AZ

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Colorado +10, Arizona -10; Over/Under:  162 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Colorado +10, Arizona -10; Over/Under:  162 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Colorado +10, Arizona -10; Over/Under:  162 points

Colorado Buffaloes:  11-2 (2-0) (1st place, Pac-12)

Arizona Wildcats:  10-3 (1-1) (5th place, Pac-12)

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Colorado Buffaloes:  5-0  last 5

Arizona Wildcats:  2-3  last 5

Colorado is entering this game with an 11-2 record overall, a 2-0 record in conference games, and they are 0-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Washington State Cougars in their last game. KJ Simpson led the team in points per game in that game with 34 while J'Vonne Hadley was next on the team with 12. J'Vonne Hadley led the team in assists with 3 in that game while Eddie Lampkin Jr. and Julian Hammond III each led the team in rebounds with 6. They were 50% from the field, 44.4% from 3-point range, and 84.6% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 84.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68.8 PPG against them. Colorado has an ATS record of 8-5 this season and their O/U record is 7-6.

Arizona is entering this game with a 10-3 record overall, a 1-1 conference record, and they are 6-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Stanford Cardinal in their last game. Caleb Love led the team in points in that game with 23 while Oumar Ballo was next on the team with 12. Kylan Boswell led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Oumar Ballo and Pelle Larsson each led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 43.8% from the field, 26.9% from 3-point range, and 73.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 92.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 73.4 PPG against them. Arizona has an ATS record of 10-3 this season and their O/U record is 7-6.

The current betting odds have Arizona listed as a 10 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Arizona has looked great in their games this season with their 10-3 record overall which also has them ranked inside the top 10 in the country, but lately they haven't looked that great in their games. All 3 of their losses this season have come in their last 3 games but they have also lost against some really good teams. They have ranked losses against Purdue and FAU while also losing to Stanford in their last game. That last game was also on New Year's Eve though so Arizona was not fully focused in that game and it showed on the court. That loss was also in their last game so they will be looking to bounce back with a much better performance here. Meanwhile, Colorado has also looked really good in their games this season with their 11-2 record overall but they haven't played as many tough teams in their schedule either. They are already 2-0 in their conference games but haven't played 1 on the road yet as they are 1-0 in road games. This is going to be a really tough environment for Colorado to play in against one of the best teams in the country, especially when they lost a conference game in their last one by close to 20 points. Arizona is the better team that will be looking to bounce back on their home court and they are going to be motivated after being dropped down to number 10 in the rankings too. The best way to place a bet here is on Arizona to cover the spread in this game. 

Colorado Arizona Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Thursday, January 4, 2024 (9:30 pm ET start time) is Arizona 99 Colorado 81.

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Colorado Buffaloes: 2-7 ATS when the total is 160 to 169.5. 14-22 ATS as a road underdog of 9.5 to 12 points. 21-8 UNDER as a road underdog of 9.5 to 12 points. 10-4 UNDER after 3 straight games - attempting 10+ more free throws than the opponent.

Arizona Wildcats: 10-3 ATS in all games. 6-0 ATS in all home games. 10-4 ATS after allowing 80 points or more. 33-18 UNDER when the total is 160 to 169.5. 10-5 UNDER in January games.

Colorado Buffaloes:  T. Da Silva (F) Ques Thurs - Ankle. B. Dak (F) Ques Thurs - Illness. C. Williams (F) Mid Jan - Wrist. R. Smith (G) Out indefinitely - Leg.

Arizona Wildcats:  H. Veesaar (F) Mid Jan - Elbow. D. Anderson (F) out for season - Redshirt.

"Another hard-fought league win. It was not easy for us. Washington State, I like their team a lot. They have good personnel. A quality win against a quality team." - Tad Boyle after his team’s win against WSU in their last game on Sunday.

“They outplayed our guys. I don't care who it was, they outplayed us.” - Tommy Lloyd after his team’s loss against Stanford in their last game on Sunday.

T. Da Silva 

J. Hadley 

E. Lampkin 

K. Simpson 

C. Williams

O. Ballo 

K. Boswell 

K. Johnson 

P. Larsson 

C. Love

PPG: K. Simpson (21.1)

APG: K. Simpson (4.5)

Reb/G: E. Lampkin Jr. (7.7)

PPG: C. Love (17.4)

APG: K. Boswell (4.2)

Reb/G: O. Ballo (8.2)

Coaches:

Colorado Buffaloes: Tad Boyle (13th season)

Arizona Wildcats: Tommy Lloyd (3rd season)