Year Two of the Tommy Lloyd era in Tucson has gotten off to a strong start, with the Arizona Wildcats ranked fifth in the nation and sporting an 11-1 record.
Nine months after the Wildcats were knocked out of the Big Dance as a No. 1 seed by the Houston Cougars in the Sweet 16, it appears that Lloyd’s squad is off the mat and ready to attack whoever lines up across from them.
The Wildcats are instilling confidence for those considering Arizona sports betting.
Arizona currently ranks third in the nation in scoring (90.5 points per game) and third in assists per game (20.9), as several starters have taken the next step in their maturation this year.
Chief among them are forwards AzuolasTubelis and Oumar Ballo, who lead the Wildcats in scoring (at 20.1 and 18.1 ppg, respectively). The duo also averages 18 rebounds per game between them.
Texas transfer guard Courtney Ramey has thrived since getting cleared by the NCAA, averaging 11.8 points and 2.9 assists per game for the Wildcats to pace the team’s backcourt.
The net result of that on-court growth is that oddsmakers are buying what the Wildcats are selling, with Arizona listed at +1400 to win the program’s first title since 1997 at BetMGM Arizona Sportsbook, which ranks in a tie for third nationally with UCLA.
The only two schools that Arizona trails on BetMGM’s MBB championship odds board are the team that knocked them out last spring and the UConn Huskies.
Keep an eye out for BetMGM Arizona promo codes and for those of the other sportsbooks operating in the state.
And watch out for this site's analysis of the best college basketball betting sites.
BetArizona.com wanted to break down how the Wildcats have fared entering the heart of Pac-12 play since the conference expanded in 2012.
Arizona in AP Men’s Basketball Poll
Assessing Wildcats Entering Heart of Pac-12 Play
Technically, Arizona already has begun conference play, after splitting their early season Rocky Mountain road trip against Utah and Colorado.
The Wildcats enter the heart of their 20-game Pac-12 schedule on New Year’s Eve, when they travel 120 miles up I-10 to play Arizona State in Tempe.
From there, Arizona heads back to McKale Center to host Washington and Washington State on Jan. 5 and 7, before hitting the road again to play the Oregon schools the following week.
Arizona’s No. 5 ranking in Monday’s AP Top 25 is its highest in the last poll released before Pac-12 play since the 2013-14 season, when they were ranked No. 1.
Over the past decade, the Wildcats have finished the year in either the Round of 64, Sweet 16, or Elite Eight — having last made the Final Four in 2001 and having lost zero second-round games during that stretch.
Lloyd and company are looking to make it back to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2015 this spring, and it appears that Arizona sports apps see them having a solid shot at doing just that.
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