One of the best rivalries in collegiate sports between Arizona and Arizona State adds another chapter tonight. The 16-0 No. 1 Wildcats host the 10-6 Sun Devils in a Big 12 contest at 10:30 p.m. ET. This has been a one-sided rivalry with Arizona holding a 163-87 record over ASU. The Wildcats have won five straight games against the Sun Devils, with ASU winning only one of the past 11 meetings.
Here is my best bet for Arizona vs. Arizona State. The Arizona Wildcats are a -21.5-point favorite while the game’s over/under is set at 168.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Arizona State vs. Arizona (10:30 p.m. ET)
The Wildcats have been the best team in college basketball this season. They have five victories over ranked opponents with 12 wins by at least 18 points. Arizona is coming off a 13-point win over TCU on January 10, its first win by under 18 points since November 19.
Arizona’s star-studded freshman duo of Koa Peat and Brayden Burries are the Wildcats’ top two scorers this season. Peat averages 14.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while Burries totals 14.6 points per contest. Burries only scored six points in his last game, but recorded 16-plus points in six of the previous eight before that. Meanwhile, Peat has three games with at least 17 points in his last four contests.
On KenPom, these teams are very far apart, with Arizona being No. 2 and Arizona State 89th. ASU has the 117th-best defensive rating and 71st-best offensive rating in college basketball. ASU is coming off an 87-84 victory over a 9-7 Kansas State team. Before that, the Sun Devils lost four consecutive games while giving up at least 90 points in three of them.
ASU is led by a veteran backcourt duo with Maurice Odum (16.4 PPG) and Anthony Johnson (14.9 PPG). Freshman center Massamba Diop averages 14.6 points and 5.6 boards and has scored 20-plus points in three straight games. But Arizona has an elite frontcourt with Peat, Motiejus Krivas, and Tobe Awaka, which should be able to slow Diop down.
Even though the spread of -21.5 seems high in a rivalry game, that is a testament to how great this Arizona team is. Arizona has won five of its previous seven contests by at least 22 points. After winning their last game by only 13 points, the Wildcats should return home to McKale Center extra motivated.
