Washington vs. Washington State Pick
The reeling Washington Huskies face a tough test when they visit the ice-cold Washington State Huskies on Wednesday night.
Here’s a complete preview, including betting odds and free NCAA Basketball picks.
Washington Huskies vs. Washington State Cougars
Wednesday, February 23, 2022 – 11:00 PM EST at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum
Who Will Get Back on Track?
Washington State opened at -10 at BetOnline and this sportsbook set the total at 134 in their NCAA Basketball odds board. Should we back the road team catching so many points or hammer this total?
Washington (13-12 SU and ATS) has lost four of their last five games, including three in a row against Arizona, USC and UCLA, all ranked opponents. UCLA was without two starters and still crushed them 76-50 at Pauley Pavilion last Saturday.
Terrell Brown Jr. (21.8 points per game, first in the Pac-12) had 13 points, ending a streak of seven straight games with at least 19 points and Jamal Bey added 12 points and 11 rebounds. Washington head coach Mike Hopkins told his players that the key to this game was to get points off turnovers and not allow second-chance points but UCLA had 24 points off 14 Washington turnovers while they scored just four points off seven Bruins turnovers. UCLA also had a 21-11 advantage in second-chance points and Washington, who lead the Pac-12 in steals, had only four.
Washington State (14-12 SU, 12-14 ATS) has lost their last five games, though three of them were against ranked opponents, including Sunday’s tough 62-60 road loss at USC. The Cougars had a 60-57 lead before the Trojans scored the final five points, including a Boogie Ellis 16-foot jumper from the foul line with 0.2 seconds to play. Tyrell Roberts led the way with 16 points, including four 3-pointers and Noah Williams scored 14. Washington State went 15-for-31 from 3-point range and pulled down 16 offensive rebounds but USC outscored them 12-5 in second-chance points and 18-6 in the paint.
Prediction
“They really packed the paint and made it hard to score around the rim,” Washington State coach Kyle Smith said after the game. “We were able to get some pretty good looks (beyond the arc). We made a number of them but we have to be able to finish more. Our 2-point field goal percentage was unbelievable.”
This is not a favorable matchup for Washington, Washington State played well against USC and they average just 69.0 points per game (212th in the nation) while Washington State allows just 63.0 points per game (31st in the nation). Washington doesn’t shoot the ball well, making just 40.2 percent of their attempts (335th in the nation) while Washington State allows opponents to shoot just 40.7 percent from the field (51st in the country). The total has gone Under in four of Washington State’s last five games so I’ll sprinkle some money on this contest being low-scoring. Enjoy the game and find more NCAA Basketball picks here.
NCAA Basketball Pick: Under 134 (-105) at BetOnline (visit BMR’s BetOnline Review)
