It's a thrilling Pac-12 matchup Thursday in Tempe as the Arizona Sun Devils play host to the Arizona Wildcats at 9 p.m. ET. This contest opened as a pick'em, but Arizona now is laying one. The over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, has bumped down from 162 to 161.
Before picking either side, you need to read what SportsLine college hoops expert Mike "Top Dog" Tierney -- who has put together an impressive 10-6 run picking college basketball games -- has to say.
Last week, Tierney made another compelling pick involving Pac-12 teams when he confidently selected nine-point underdog UCLA over Arizona. He astutely noted that the Wildcats had failed to cover in their previous six home games in part because of their lax defense. The result: The Bruins not only covered the spread but won outright, 82-74.
Tierney, the veteran sportswriter-turned-SportsLine expert with a strong analytical background, has now examined every matchup, every player and every trend for Arizona-Arizona State and locked in his strong against-the-spread pick. We can tell you he's expecting a high-scoring affair and is leaning toward the over, but what about the spread, which he has excelled picking?
Tierney knows the Wildcats and Sun Devils have struggled against the spread lately. Arizona is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 conference games, while Arizona State is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 Pac-12 matchups.
The Wildcats' best shot at covering the spread will rely heavily on 7-foot-1 forward Deandre Ayton's ability to control the boards. He hauls in about 11 rebounds per game and is good for about two blocks each time out. Forcing Arizona State to take contested jump shots plays right into Arizona's uptempo transition game.
But Arizona State can cover the spread -- or even win outright -- if it can clamp down on phenom guard Allonzo Trier, who is 33-for-52 from the field -- a 63-percent clip -- over his last five games.
Tierney has identified a strong edge one team has that led him to lock in a confident pick.
So what side of Arizona-Arizona State do you need to be all over? Visit SportsLine to see the strong point-spread pick by Tierney, and see which team's big edge determines the outcome, all from an expert who has absolutely crushed college basketball.