Arizona has the edge in free NCAA picks over improving Washington

The Pac-10 hasn’t been the safest place to find solid free NCAA betting picks this season, which makes handicapping the contest between the Washington Huskies and Arizona Wildcats that much more intriguing as the clubs square off on Saturday in Tucson.

Washington (18-7, 10-4 Pac-10) at #13 Arizona (22-4, 11-2 Pac-10)

Date/Time: Saturday, February 19, 2011, 6:00 PM EST

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Venue: McKale Center in Tucson, AZ.

Broadcast: ESPN

Money Line: OFF

Spread: OFF

Over/Under: OFF

It hasn’t been a banner year for the Pac-10 Conference. The number of projected teams headed to the madness in March appears to be three from this league. If that’s the case, then this game includes two clubs figuring to be called on Selection Sunday as the Wildcats of Arizona entertain the Washington Huskies.

Washington has reached the century mark for points in a game six times. They are second in the entire country in points per game at 85.9 per contest, and their field goal percentage of 48.1 percent is 13th best in the nation.

Much like his namesake did for Indiana 30 years ago, some have taken to quote the famous biblical passage from the book of Isaiah that states that, “…a little child shall lead them.” The Isaiah in this case, is junior 5-9 guard Isaiah Thomas, who leads the Huskies at 17 points and 5.7 assists per game. Washington has just three players in double figures on average, but nine players on the squad average more than five points per contest.

As for the home team, Arizona is usually a good bet when it comes to free NCAA picks. The Wildcats have won the last four contests between these two schools played in Tucson, and this season is a perfect 17-0 in games played at the McKale Center.

Sean Miller’s second season as the man in charge of the Wildcats has seen them return the program back to national prominence like when Lute Olson was running the show. And like the great teams coached by Olson, Miller has a big-time scorer he can depend upon in Derrick Williams. The 6-8 forward from California is second in the conference in scoring at 19.2 points per contest, and is shooting 69.4 percent from three-point range.

This should be a highly competitive contest between two quality teams, so this is one game among many free NCAA picks that figures to see a lot of action on both sides. But the Huskies haven’t had the same success away from Seattle as they have at home, so we’ll slightly tilt towards Arizona.

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