NCAAB PAC-12 Conference Betting Tournament Preview (2021)
The PAC-12 tournament moves across the street in Las Vegas, NV this week as games tip-off Wednesday with three first-round matches played at the T-Mobile Arena. The top 5 seeds get started Thursday, with the semifinals slated for Friday night and the championship game scheduled for Saturday.
While Oregon, USC, and Colorado are all but guaranteed spots in the big dance, the rest of the field needs a strong showing this week (and a few need to win it) to even have a chance. Winner of two of the last four, the Arizona Wildcats are at home for the remainder of the year from a self-imposed ban from a 2017 federal investigation into corruption.
Unlike much of the regular season, players’ family members will be allowed to attend for what will be the final collegiate game for many of the players involved.
Let’s take a look at where the value lies in this year’s field as first-tip approaches tomorrow.
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PAC-12 Conference Tournament
Dates: Wednesday, March 10 – Saturday, March 13
Site: Las Vegas, NV
No. 1 seed: Oregon Ducks
Previous winners
2020 – Cancelled due to COVID-19
2019 – Oregon Ducks
2018 – Arizona Wildcats
2017 – Arizona Wildcats
2016 – Oregon Ducks
Favorite to Watch
Oregon Ducks (+260) (1-3 seeds)
After drawing the number one seed in the tournament following their dismantling of Oregon State on Sunday, the Ducks will avoid both Colorado and USC until the championship game should the games fall that way. Should they get there, they have the advantage of seeing both of those teams in the last month and will this time at full strength and with time to prepare.
Winners of 10 of their final 11 down the stretch, the Ducks are getting hot at the right time and head into Las Vegas looking for a top seed in this month’s “big†bracket. With the top 1-2 punch in the conference in Chris Duarte and Eugene Omorui, averaging a combined 34 points per game, the Ducks still offer value as the third highest-priced team in this tournament.
Top Live Underdog
UCLA Bruins (+500) (4-6 seeds)
By most accounts, with a record of 17-8 and some impressive wins over Marquette and Colorado on their resume, the Bruins should already be in the tournament. A win against Oregon State in the opener would all but seal it.
After that, a date with Oregon would most likely be in order in the semifinal. While certainly a mismatch on paper, the Bruins led Oregon in Eugene at the half just six days ago and finished the game leading in nearly every statistical category.
They also have the added benefit of seeing not only the Ducks but USC and Colorado in the last 10 days as well.
Best Longshot Play
Arizona State Sun Devils (+3000) (7 seeds or lower)
Coming into the season with their best recruiting class of all-time and a roster top to bottom as talented as any, potentially no team has underachieved more than the Sun Devils this season. From issues with COVID to their leader Remy Martin missing extended time, Arizona State showed flashes of greatness but came crashing down more often than not.
Even still, Martin leads the PAC-12 in points per game with 19.9, and Jalen Graham and Jaelen House rank in the top five for Field Goal % and Steals, respectively. With a tournament win being the only route this team has to the Big Dance, getting out of their own way could be the only thing stopping them.
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TJ Perun is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from TJ, check out his archive and follow him @JohnnyCovers.