Washington Huskies vs No. 11 Arizona Wildcats Predictions, Odds, Picks

• The Washington Huskies are unranked and struggling to beat good teams this season. They are coming off an embarrassing 5-21 season.
• The Arizona Wildcats are ranked 11th in the nation and unbeaten. They had a strong season last year at 17-9 but did not participate in March Madness after self-imposing a postseason ban.

Washington Huskies vs #11 Arizona Odds

Washington Huskies vs. #11 Arizona Wildcats Predictions and Picks

This should be a lopsided game. Arizona is almost a top-ten team in the nation with great shooting, and Washington was ranked at #105 at the beginning of the season. I would like to say that Washington is playing better than their preseason ranking, but they may be playing worse. They have struggled to score against mediocre teams this season, making it a tough matchup for the Huskies.

 Pick:

Arizona beats Washington 102-65.

Why Might the Washington Huskies Win?

The Huskies have a very slim chance of winning this game. They have only faced unranked teams and are sitting at .500. They are also moving in the wrong direction after losing their last two games, 82-74 and 82-61, to the Winthrop Eagles and the Nevada Wolfpack.

Washington struggles to make shots. Their best shooter, guard Terrell Brown Jr, fares well from the free-throw line but is hitting half of his field-goal attempts and ⅓ of his three-point attempts.

If Washington wants to win this game, they will need to do two things: Lockdown the Wildcats on defense and take a lot of free-throw shots. The Wildcats have a high-scoring offense and shoot the ball well. So if Washington can limit the number of shots Arizona takes, they might keep them below 80 points.

But what is good defense without good offense? That brings me to point #2. Washington’s starters are decent free-throw shooters. Three of the starters make more than 75% of their free-throw attempts. They are not the best, but you do not want to send them to the line. If Washington can figure out a way to draw a lot of fouls, they can close the gap with their free throws.

Even if Washington locks Arizona down on defense and makes a lot of free throws, they will still have a very tough task at hand. The only other thing I can recommend doing is praying.

Why Might the Arizona Wildcats Win?

The Wildcats will likely win this game. They have a much stronger roster, four starters averaging ten or more points a game, and a starting backcourt (of Bennedict Mathurin and Kerr Kriisa) that can hit the right man in transition and score when called upon. Arizona is not as good as #1 Duke or #3 Gonzaga, but they can hold their own against almost all the teams in the NCAA.

There are only a few scenarios that would cause the Wildcats to lose. First, they are unbeaten, so they could become complacent and allow the Huskies to go on some scoring runs. Second, they could shoot the ball poorly. This Arizona team shoots the ball really well, but every team has their off nights. Third, they could be lax on defense and give Washington a lot of open shots and layups.

Those are all unlikely scenarios. The Wildcats will probably come out the gates fast and take a big lead early against the Huskies. They will not look back from that point and win the game handily.

Huskies Key Player: Terrell Brown Jr.

Terrell Brown Jr. was the easy choice. He leads the in minutes per game (37.1), points per game (21.9), assists per game (4.0), steals per game (2.0), and field-goal percentage (47.1). The senior guard from Seattle is Washington’s X-factor.

Brown is coming off an 18-point, six-assist performance against Winthrop and has shown that he can score at the rim and behind the three-point line.

He will need to have a massive game if he wants to give his team a chance to upset Arizona. But, on the flip side of that, Arizona will need to focus on limiting his scoring and playmaking.

Wildcats Key Player: Christian Koloko

There were a few good players to choose from on the Arizona roster. Lithuanian forward Azoulis Tubelis and Cameroonian center Christian Koloko are putting up pretty similar numbers through the season’s first six games. Still, Christian Koloko has been a little more impactful on both sides of the floor, making him the Wildcats key player.

Christian Keloko leads the Wildcats in rebounds per game (7.5) and blocks per game (3.5). He is also second in scoring, with 16.2 points per game. His impact can be seen everywhere on the court.

The Huskies will need to keep Koloko away from the rim in this game. That will be very difficult because Christian Koloko is 7’1” and 230 lbs, but it is imperative for this weaker Huskies team.

Even if the Huskies limit Koloko’s scoring, they will still have to lock down a couple of other scorers, but it will be a start.

How To Watch Huskies vs Wildcats