2017 Pac-12 Tournament Betting Preview: Odds, Analysis, Matchups

The top-seeded Oregon Ducks (27-4, 16-2 Pac-12) edged out the second-seeded Arizona Wildcats (27-4, 16-2) and third-seeded UCLA Bruins (28-3, 15-3) for the conference’s regular-season title in one of the most competitive Pac-12 races in years.

Sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark also like Oregon to repeat as the Pac-12 tournament champion in Las Vegas at a betting line of +160 (wager $100 to win $160).

But if the pollsters had their pick of a favorite, they would probably choose the Bruins, who are ranked ahead of both the Ducks and Wildcats nationally at No. 3, behind only the Kansas Jayhawks and defending national champion Villanova Wildcats.

UCLA is listed as the +170 second choice to win the Pac-12 tournament for the first time since 2014.

The Bruins suffered all three of their losses in conference play, with two of them coming in back-to-back games against Arizona and the sixth-seeded USC Trojans (23-8, 10-8), who are much longer shots to win the conference tournament at +2500.

UCLA is riding a nine-game winning streak though, going 4-5 against the spread during that closing stretch, according to the OddsShark College Basketball Database.

In comparison, Oregon has won eight of nine straight up (6-2-1 ATS) heading into Vegas, with Arizona taking six of seven SU (3-4 ATS). The lone loss for the Ducks over the past month came February 9 versus the Bruins on the road. Oregon fell 82-79 at UCLA but still covered as a 4.5-point underdog after blowing an early 19-point lead.

The Wildcats lost to both the Ducks and Bruins over their last eight games, and they are the +265 third choice to win the Pac-12 tournament for the second time in three years. Arizona blew out Oregon 80-52 as a 12.5-point favorite in the 2015 championship game and has won it more times than any other school (five).

The Ducks won it for a fourth time last year with an 88-57 rout of the Utah Utes as two-point chalk in the title game at sports betting sites.

The Utes (20-10, 11-7) are seeded fourth this year and are a +1200 on the Pac-12 tournament odds to win it for the first time, just ahead of the fifth-seeded California Golden Bears (19-11, 10-8), who are +1400. UCLA has also won the Pac-12 tournament four times.