by Chuck Sommers
Monday, Jan 03, 2022
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: McKale Center, Tucson, AZ
Where to watch: TBD
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Arizona -22.5
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: Arizona -22.5
Season record
Washington: 5-5
No. 9 Arizona: 11-1 (1-0 Pac-12)
A good week for Matt Fargo, who is 5-1-0 in the last week. What lies ahead with the uncertainty of the college basketball schedule? As long as games are played, you can expect the best here. Catch Matt’s plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Washington - Arizona preview and analysis
Recent form
Washington: lost 68-52 vs. Utah Valley
Arizona: lost 77-73 at No. 19 Tennessee
The Arizona Wildcats will not be rolling into the second half of the season undefeated, but we continue to see how good they'll be.
Despite losing for the first time on Dec. 22, UA showed some resiliency in the second half before falling to the Tennessee Volunteers. Between the Wildcats and USC, the Pac-12 is going to be a ridiculous set of teams to face.
Arizona will return to the court for the first time since that loss, and will be on its home court, against the Washington Huskies on Monday.
The Wildcats trailed 34-21 at halftime before rallying to tie it at 67 with 2:30 to go. But the Volunteers ended the game on a 10-6 spurt to end what was a terrific and unexpected start for Arizona.
It was a non-conference slate that involved wins against No. 4 Michigan, a talented Illinois team, and a solid win against Wichita State. The Wildcats would've been greatly tested over the past couple of weeks had not been for postponements; they were set to face No. 5 UCLA and No. 7 USC on the road before this return home to face UW.
Bennedict Mathurin led all scorers with 28 points and eight rebounds, but Kerr Kriisa was the only other Arizona player to score in double figures with 11 points on 3 of 10 shooting (all 3-pointers). UA shot 44.8 percent from the floor and made only 9 of 27 from distance.
The Huskies are returning to action after a near-two-week hiatus due to COVID. We haven't seen Washington since Dec. 21 in a 68-52 loss to Utah Valley for its third loss in four games.
Remember the days when Markelle Fultz was literally the only player on UW that could score and he carried a carcass of a team before going No. 1 overall? There's the same vibe with Terrell Brown Jr. right now, although he's a senior and not a freshman like Fultz was that season. But Brown is the only one that is doing anything on UW right now; he had 23 points on 8 of 17 shooting in the loss to Utah Valley.
No one else on the Huskies made more than four shots, and they combined to shoot 35.2% from the floor. Washington also took 11 3-pointers as a team and missed all of them, and also missed 12 free throws. If that's not a microcosm to this season for this team, good luck finding another one.
The Huskies are returning to action after a near-two-week hiatus due to COVID. We haven't seen Washington since Dec. 21 in a 68-52 loss to Utah Valley for its third loss in four games.
Remember the days when Markelle Fultz was literally the only player on UW that could score and he carried a carcass of a team before going No. 1 overall? There's the same vibe with Terrell Brown Jr. right now, although he's a senior and not a freshman like Fultz was that season. But Brown is the only one that is doing anything on UW right now; he had 23 points on 8 of 17 shooting in the loss to Utah Valley.
No one else on the Huskies made more than four shots, and they combined to shoot 35.2% from the floor. Washington also took 11 3-pointers as a team and missed all of them, and also missed 12 free throws. If that's not a microcosm to this season for this team, good luck finding another one.
Prediction
The over has cashed a lot for both teams as of late. Over is 10-2 in Washington's last 12 games against a team with a home winning percentage of at least .600, while the over is also 6-1 in Arizona's last seven home games. If it comes down to offense, Arizona is going to get buckets before Washington does, and that's going to lead to a win. Whether or not you trust that spread is another issue. I say Arizona covers by a hair. Arizona by 24
Betting trends
Washington is 9-24 ATS in its last 33 off an under, 4-12 off two unders.
Washington is 2-8 ATS after being outrebounded by 15 or more the previous game.
Arizona is 5-1 ATS at home this season.
Arizona is 1-7 ATS over the past three seasons after winning eight or more out of its last 10.
Projected starting lineup
Washington:
PG: Terrell Brown Jr.
SG: Daejon Davis
SF: Jamal Bey
PF: Emmitt Matthews Jr.
C: Nate Roberts
Arizona:
PG: Kerr Kriisa
SG: Dalen Terry
SF: Bennedict Mahurin
PF: Azuolas Tubelis
C: Christian Koloko
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Washington - Arizona prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily college basketball projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
