Utah vs. No. 8 Arizona Pac-12 basketball odds, bracketology: Utes would revive NCAA Tournament hopes with first series sweep in nearly five decades

The University of Utah hasn't reached the NCAA Tournament since 2016 but is in the midst of a bounce-back season under second-year coach Craig Smith, and is currently on the Big Dance bubble. The Utes probably get off that, at least temporarily, if they can complete an unlikely season sweep of No. 8 Arizona on Thursday night, although the excellent Wildcats are 10-point home favorites at Caesars Sportsbook.

In the Pac-12 opener for both on Dec. 1, Utah was a 7-point home underdog against then-No 4 Arizona but pulled off an 81-66 upset. Utah led by 17 at the half and Arizona never got closer than six after the break. Branden Carlson led the Utes with 22 points (5-for-9 from deep) and five rebounds, while Rollie Worster had was an assist shy of a triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and nine helpers. The Utes had been 0-6 against ranked opponents under Smith and hadn't beaten one since 2019.

Starting guard Gabe Madsen had 11 points, three assists and two steals in the first meeting for Utah but hasn't played since Jan. 28 due to a high ankle sprain (the selection committee takes injuries into account). He hopes to be back for the Pac-12 Tournament, which starts March 8.

CBS Sports doesn't list the Utes in its bracketology, so there is plenty of work to do with a tough remaining schedule: at Arizona State, vs. No. 4 UCLA, vs. USC and at Colorado before the conference tournament. In the NCAA NET Rankings, Utah is 51st but just 1-5 vs. Quad 1 foes – that one win being the Arizona game.

Utah hasn't pulled off an in-season sweep of the Wildcats since the 1977-78 season – when both teams were members of the Western Athletic Conference. Utah is 0-7 in seasons in which it has played two games (home-and-home) against Arizona, with the 2018-19 campaign serving as the lone split against the Cats. The Utes haven't won at McKale Center since Dec. 6, 1986.

Arizona (22-14, 11-4 Pac-12) is 1.5 games back of first-place UCLA in the Pac-12, but the Wildcats currently hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. The two teams close the regular season against one another on March 4 in Los Angeles. CBS Sports has Arizona as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament's East Region and facing No. 14 Furman, while ESPN has Arizona as a No. 2 seed in the East and opening against No. 15 Rider.

Arizona comes off an 88-79 upset loss at Stanford on Saturday, which snapped a seven-game winning streak. Wildcats star Azuolas Tubelis, a Pac-12 Player of the Year favorite, had just four points due to foul trouble. Coach Tommy Lloyd's team is +330 to reach its first Final Four since 2001 and +1400 to win its first national title since 1997. No Pac-12 school has won the tournament since.

Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Will Utah play in the 2023 NCAA Tournament?

• No -350
• Yes +270

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