The Arizona Wildcats should be preparing for another deep NCAA Tournament run. Instead, they are wondering about the future of coach Sean Miller. There was an explosive allegation last week by ESPN that said Miller was implicated in a wiretap offering money to secure the services of star center DeAndre Ayton.
Miller didn’t coach in the team’s previous game at Oregon and met with the school administrators on Tuesday to talk about his future. It remains to be seen if he will be on the bench next time out when the Wildcats host the Stanford Cardinal.
Arizona is the more talented team and gets this game at home, so it would normally be a strong favorite. Check to see how the current controversy affects the spread, as the oddsmakers could dock the Wildcats some points based on the unknown aspect of this situation.
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Odds Analysis
Stanford is 16-13 straight up and 14-15 against the spread. The Cardinal has covered in three of eight attempts on the road this season. Stanford is 7-7 against the spread as the underdog.
Arizona is 22-7 straight up and 11-17-1 against the spread. The Wildcats have not done well at home this season, with a record of just 4-7-1 against the spread. Arizona is 9-16-1 against the spread as the favorite, so it was having trouble living up to standards even before this news.
Player To Watch
Deandre Ayton — Despite the recent controversy surrounding the Wildcats’ phenomenal freshman, Ayton has managed to keep his cool. The story broke Friday night about Miller allegedly talking about paying his best player $100,000 — a clear violation of NCAA rules — but on Saturday against Oregon, he was right on the money.
Arizona lost in overtime to Oregon in that game, but Ayton finished with 28 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks. He finished 11-of-15 from the field and appeared to be unaffected by or perhaps motivated by the fact that the entire world of college basketball was focused on him.
Ayton averages 19.9 points and 11.2 rebounds a game this season and is expected to be one of the top picks in the NBA draft. His eligibility is intact for now, and it remains to be seen if Ayton’s college basketball status is affected at any point moving forward.
The Wildcats are already without star Allonzo Trier, who has been suspended by the NCAA for failing a drug test. He is not expected to play in this game.
Key Stat
10. That’s the number of wins the Cardinal have racked up in Pac-12 play in 16 tries, which is third in the conference behind Arizona and USC. It has been a bit of a surprise after Stanford struggled mightily in the non-conference.
Stanford has won three straight games heading into this matchup, knocking off California on the road before sweeping Washington and Washington State at home. The Cardinal still isn’t getting much buzz for the NCAA Tournament since its overall record is below average, but a sweep of the Arizona schools over the weekend might be able to add their name to the conversation.
Free NCAA ATS Picks
The Arizona controversy is fluid, so it’s tough to know exactly what will be going on when this game is ready to tip. As long as Ayton is playing, the Wildcats will have a big advantage down low, and the home court is key.
Without Trier and possibly Miller, this one should be much closer than once envisioned, but take the embattled Wildcats to pull out a narrow victory. It’s going to be interesting to see how the oddsmakers handicap this matchup.
NCAA Odds: Arizona 81, Stanford 78
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