2018 Pac-12 Tournament Odds: Arizona the Betting Favorite over USC, UCLA

It has not been an easy season by any means for the 15th-ranked Arizona Wildcats (24-7), who were the No. 3 team in the country, according to pollsters in the preseason. But the Wildcats have survived a suspension to guard Allonzo Trier and allegations against head coach Sean Miller to enter the Pac-12 tournament as the No. 1 seed and the +190 betting favorites (wager $100 to win $190) in Las Vegas at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.

Arizona is led by first-year phenom Deandre Ayton, who won Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year honors after averaging 19.9 points and 11.4 rebounds during the regular season. Ayton was also linked to the FBI investigation into college basketball corruption, but the school cleared him to play and, like Miller, he denies wrongdoing.

The top competition for the Wildcats looks to be the second-seeded USC Trojans (21-10), who are the +400 second choice to win the Pac-12 tournament for the second time. The Trojans last won the tournament back in 2009 behind MVP DeMar DeRozan, who currently stars for the NBA's Toronto Raptors. Arizona has won the tournament twice since then en route to taking home six titles overall, the most of any Pac-12 school.

Before a possible meeting with USC in the championship game though, the Wildcats could face stiff tests versus the ninth-seeded Arizona State Sun Devils (20-10) in the quarterfinals or the fourth-seeded UCLA Bruins (20-10) in the semifinals. Arizona State could be a good dark-horse pick as the +700 sixth choice on the 2018 Pac-12 tournament odds while UCLA is third at +550.

On the other side of the bracket, the Trojans may have to play the third-seeded Utah Utes (19-10) in the semifinals on Friday in another tough matchup. Much like the Sun Devils, the Utes are fighting for a berth in March Madness as the +600 fourth choice on the Vegas odds to win the Pac-12 tournament, likely needing to make the title game to get in.

Utah will play the winner of the sixth-seeded Oregon Ducks (20-11) and 11th-seeded Washington State Cougars (12-18) in the quarterfinals on Thursday. The Ducks are the +650 fifth choice to win the Pac-12 tournament for the fifth time in school history.

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