Pac-12 foes will lock horns when the Arizona State Sun Devils (10-6) challenge the Washington State Cougars (9-6) at Wells-Fargo Arena. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 14 and can be seen on PAC.
The Sun Devils are hoping to rebound after their 81-74 loss to UCLA in their last matchup. Tra Holder was the team’s leading scorer with 26 points. The Cougars, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 99-95 loss against Washington in their last game. Washington State lost despite the best efforts of Josh Hawkinson, who recorded his 12th double-double of the season with 21 points and 20 rebounds.
Over the last five games, Holder has taken his game to another level for the Sun Devils, averaging 22.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.0 three-pointers.
Arizona State is a nine-point favorite against Washington State and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 147 points. The Sun Devils have gone 10-6 Straight Up (SU) and 7-8 Against The Spread (ATS).
Over on the other bench, the Cougars have records of 8-6 ATS and 9-6 SU. The Cougars convert their shots at a high percentage, ranking 20th in the country at .492. The Washington State defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only 5.0 field goals from three-point range per game. Blocking shots is an area where Washington State has excelled. The Cougars average 5.9 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the nation.
These conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Washington State won the last game in the matchup, but the win was not enough to overtake Arizona State in their recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 3-7 SU over the most recent meetings. With a 7-3 record, the Sun Devils also have the advantage ATS. In these last five matchups, each team was able to hold the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time.
Predictions: SU Winner – AriSt, ATS Winner – WashSt, O/U – Over
Notes
Arizona State is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games.
Arizona State is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Arizona State is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Washington State.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona State’s last 5 games when playing Washington State.
Arizona State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Washington State.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona State’s last 6 games when playing at home against Washington State.
With 69.8 possessions and 1.077 points per possession, the Arizona State Sun Devils perform worse on both metrics than the Washington State Cougars. Washington State averages 71.7 possessions and 1.082 points per possession.
Arizona State has an average effective field goal percentage of 48.8%. Washington State is a losing 1-4 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
The Washington State Cougars average 5.9 blocks per game, the 10th-ranked team in the country. The Arizona State Sun Devils rank a lowly 188th in blocking with just 3.3 per game.
Arizona State ranks 53rd in offensive rebounding. Washington State ranks 117th in defensive rebounding.
On average, Arizona State forces a turnover rate of 19.0%. When Washington State turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a tremendous 7-1 record.
