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The 9th seeded Cougars will kick off the Pac-12 Tournament later today when they take on the 8th seeded Cal Golden Bears. WSU is the lower seed in the matchup. WSU lost their only game against Cal this season. WSU hasn't won a game in the Pac-12 Tournament since 2009 (when they beat Ernie Kent). WSU has never won a conference tournament game when they were seeded 9th or worse. The next matchup would be against Arizona, the 5th best team in the nation. Conventional wisdom says the odds aren't good for the Cougars this week.
Well... Screw conventional wisdom, this is Vegas, baby! The city that never sleeps and throws conventional into the garbage like an empty can of beer that was just consumed on a public street. What does the city of light have to say about WSU's odds in the Pac-12 tourney? Whatever they are, they've got to be better than stupid conventional wisdom... Right?
... Right?
Not exactly.
According to Clay Travis at FoxSports.Com, Washington State is an 800/1 underdog to take the conference's automatic bid, by far the highest in the conference (USC checks in at 500/1 while Washington and Oregon State tie for 10th at 200/1). What this means is: if you bet $1 on WSU to win the Pac-12, and they do, you'll walk out with a cool $800. If you really want to press your luck, try Auburn. A $1 bet on the Tigers could net you $1,500 (as long as something terrible happens to every single player on Kentucky). Bovada, meanwhile, gives WSU slightly better odds. They put the Cougs on par with USC at 500/1.
Luckily they don't play the games on paper... or in a Vegas sportsbook...
Unsurprisingly, Arizona is one of the biggest favorites to win their conference tournament in the nation. Most places have them hovering around 1/2 odds to win the conference. The only other major conference team with better odds is Kentucky at 1/4.
I've included the full list of Pac-12 tourney odds from Bovada below:
Arizona 1/2 Utah 9/4 UCLA 10/1 Oregon 16/1 Stanford 16/1 Arizona State 33/1 Colorado 40/1 California 100/1 Oregon State 200/1 Washington 200/1 USC 500/1 Washington State 500/1
The game between WSU and Cal tips off at 12:30 on the Pac-12 network with Kevin Calabro and Don MacLean on the call.
More Pac-12 Tourney Coverage
Cal men's basketball prepares to face Washington State in Pac-12 Tournament | Dailycal.org
The No. 8 seeded Bears will face No. 9 seeded Washington State (13-7, 7-11 Pac-12) on Wednesday afternoon in the first game of the tournament. The winner of the match will face No. 1 seeded Arizona, inarguably one of the best teams in the country, on Thursday in the quarterfinals.
UW’s Williams-Goss, WSU’s Lacy make all-Pac-12 team | Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
SEATTLE — Washington State senior DaVonté Lacy was chosen to the 10-person all-Pac-12 men’s basketball first team on Monday.
Pac-12 teams rolling the dice at tournament : Arizona Wildcats
The ride in to Las Vegas is a whole lot different than the ride out. On the way in, there’s excitement, joy and wonder. The bright lights, the big city; the pretty girls, the handsome guys. There’s optimism and enthusiasm. The ride home is a little less fun.
We're Getting a Med School
Senate passes WSU med school bill - Spokesman.com - March 10, 2015
OLYMPIA — The morning after the House, the Senate passed an identical bill to give Washington State University the authority, although not the money, to start a new medical school in Spokane.