It has been a scorcher of a start to the 2021-22 college basketball season for the Arizona Wildcats under first-year coach Tommy Lloyd.
Lloyd and company are 8-0, having beaten all but one of their opponents by double digits ahead of the team’s road clash with Illinois on Saturday (3 p.m., FOX).
The 11th-ranked Wildcats are thriving in their first season since Arizona betting apps launched, giving fans extra reason to get skin in the game.
Wildcats Among Pac-12 Title Favorites
Five major Arizona sportsbooks agree the Wildcats are the second-best team in the Pac-12.
Arizona’s best odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona, which lists the team at +165, second only to UCLA, which is listed at +125.
Caesars Sportsbook Arizona, DraftKings Sportsbook Arizona, TwinSpires Sportsbook Arizona and Unibet Arizona all give the Wildcats +300 odds to win the Pac-12 regular season title.
The Bruins are the odds-on conference favorite — Caesars Sportsbook Arizona and DraftKings Arizona list them at +105, while TwinSpires Arizona and Unibet Arizona have them at -143.
The Wildcats last won the Pac-12 regular season conference title in 2018 when they went 14-4 in conference play.
Where Arizona Stands in the National Title Race
The Wildcats are listed between +2000 and +3000 to win the 2022 NCAA Championship in college basketball betting, 25 years after the program won its lone title.
The team’s best odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona, which gives Arizona the 11th best number to win it all in 2022 at +2000.
The oddsmakers at BetMGM Arizona give the Wildcats +2500 odds of winning the title, ranking in a tie for 11th.
DraftKings Sportsbook Arizona lists the Wildcats at +2200 in championship futures, which also ranks in a tie for 11th.
Elsewhere, oddsmakers at Caesars Sportsbook Arizona, TwinSpires Sportsbook Arizona, and Unibet Arizona list the Wildcats at +3000 to win the school’s second national championship.
Bennedict Mathurin’s Player of the Year Odds
BetMGM gives Arizona sophomore guard Bennedict Mathurin +6600 odds of winning the 2022 National Player of the Year award, ranking him in a tie for 21st. Duke’s Paolo Banchero (+450) and Gonzaga’s Drew Timme (+500) lead the player of the year chase.
Mathurin has turned in a phenomenal sophomore campaign, pacing the Wildcats in points per game (17.0), while also pulling down 6.6 rebounds and shooting 48% from the floor.
Three other Wildcats — forward Azuolas Tubelis (15.8 PPG), Christian Koloko (14.4 PPG), and Kerr Kriisa (11.0 PPG) — are also averaging double figures.
Arizona’s Women Also Championship Favorites
The Arizona women’s basketball team, the reigning national runner-up, sports similar national title odds as the men’s team.
At FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona, the Wildcats are tied for seventh in the national title chase at +3000 after starting the season with eight consecutive wins.
The Wildcats’ odds are even rosier at Caesars Sportsbook Arizona, which lists Adia Barnes’ squad at +2200 — good for the eighth best odds in the nation.
The Arizona women have high-profile wins over sixth-ranked Louisville (61-59) and Rutgers (80-44). On Thursday, the Wildcats beat North Dakota State 59-47. Arizona plays again Sunday at home against New Mexico at 1 p.m. They also face No. 11 Texas at home on Dec. 19 in the team’s final non-conference contest.
