Oregon, Arizona lead the way in Pac-12 hoops betting odds
The Pac-12 will announce its men's basketball preseason poll on Tuesday, but the oddsmakers already have had their say.
Oregon is the betting favorite in the conference.
Arizona is second.
Washington is close.
Well ... mostly.
Taking a tour of some of the online sportsbooks finds that Oregon is +200 to win the conference on DraftKings and BetAmerica, with Arizona and Washington at +275, meaning that a winning $100 bet would return $275 in profit.
BetOnline.ag has Oregon at +275, followed by the Cats (+350) and Huskies (+400).
FanDuel Sportsbook doesn't list conference odds, but does have 2020 national championship futures -- and it is here that Arizona ekes ahead of the Ducks. You can get the Wildcats at +3300 (33-to-1) to win the natty. Do you believe? And if so, willing to put your money where your heart is?
Oregon is right behind at +3500, with Washington further back at +5000.
All three of these teams should be preseason Top 25, in my opinion, and in that order.
The Ducks surged during the summer when a pair of top prospects -- five-star center N'Faly Dante and four-star guard Addison Patterson -- reclassified from the 2020 recruiting class to 2019, immediately bolstering coach Dana Altman's effort to build on last season's conference tournament championship and appearance in the Sweet 16.
The Ducks lost a lot, but they still have, among others, senior point guard Payton Pritchard, 5-star freshman forward C.J. Walker, the two reclassified freshmen and a pair of impact grad transfers -- New Mexico guard Anthony Mathis and UNLV forward Shakur Juiston. Altman is a master of cobbling together a roster.
Arizona should be vastly improved, with size, shooting, depth and point guard upgrades.
Washington needs an almost entirely new core, but Mike Hopkins' Huskies will still defend like crazy while breaking in one of the nation's top recruiting classes, led by big men Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels.
I think this is going to be a good league this season, with a big, fat middle that includes Colorado (returns seven of top eight scorers), UCLA (new coach Mick Cronin is an improvement on the sideline and talent is rarely lacking), Arizona State (Remy Martin is back; JC recruits will shine), USC (top 10 recruiting class) and Utah (never underestimate Larry Krystkowiak's team).
Most of those teams are around 12-1 or 14-1 to win the league on various sportsbooks.
I think getting the Buffaloes at 12-1 has good value, but what do I know? That's why I never ... OK, rarely ... bet. Enjoy the season.