2023 Pac-12 Tournament Prediction, Odds & Picks: Can Anyone Knock Out UCLA?

After running through the Pac-12 regular-season schedule with a 16-2 record, UCLA goes to Las Vegas as the favorite for the Pac-12 tournament.

The Bruins are looking to solidify their resume as a potential No. 1 seed once the NCAA Tournament bracket is released on Sunday, March 12.

2023 Pac-12 Tournament Odds:

2023 Pac-12 Tournament Prediction & Picks

Pac-12 Tournament Best Bet: UCLA | +135 at Caesars

While Arizona is a great team that is expected to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, there’s no debate that UCLA has been the best team in the Pac-12 all season long.

UCLA enters the tournament at 27-4 on the season and 18-2 in Pac-12 play. The Bruins’ only losses have been to Illinois and Baylor back in November, and then Arizona and USC in January. Interestingly, each of those losses in both cases came in back-to-back games.

Since the loss at USC on Jan. 26, head coach Mick Cronin’s team has rattled off 10 straight wins, including most recently an 82-73 victory over Arizona to close out the regular season.

Unfortunately for the Bruins, junior guard Jaylen Clark suffered an Achilles injury early in the second half. As this is being written, there’s no official update on the status of Clark, but I’m writing this under the assumption that Clark will not play in the Pac-12 Tournament. Obviously, I like UCLA even more if Clark somehow is able to go.

Missing Clark is missing more than his 13 points and 6 rebounds per game, as the likely Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year is fifth in the country in steals with 2.6 per game.

Even without Clark, UCLA is still an elite defensive team. On the other end, most of the offense runs through the experienced senior duo of point guard Tyger Campbell and shooting guard/small forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Neither Campbell nor Jaquez has the lottery-pick type of athleticism and talent that leaps off the television screen, but they are two of the smartest and most fundamentally-sound players in college basketball.

UCLA’s path to the tournament title includes a quarterfinal matchup with Washington or Colorado, likely Oregon in the semifinal, and Arizona or USC in the championship.

The Bruins will be favored in all potential matchups and have the talent, coaching, and IQ to outlast all opponents. Even if Clark doesn’t play, there’s significant value in +135, as some books are all the way down in the +110 range.

Pac-12 Tournament Sleeper Pick: USC | +700 at Caesars

The oddsmakers have this tournament as pretty much a two-horse race between UCLA and Arizona, but I see a lot of value on USC here.

After an opening-night loss to Florida Gulf Coast (head coach Andy Enfield’s former school … remember Dunk City?), USC spent the early part of the season on the outside of the NCAA Tournament bubble.

That started to change in late January and early February when the Trojans won four in a row, including defeating UCLA by 13.

After getting swept on the road at the Oregon schools during the second weekend of February, USC closed the regular season by winning five of six, with the only loss coming against Arizona.

When looking for a team to make a semi-unexpected run and win three on straight days, I tend to like an explosive guard who can take over games with his scoring. Senior Boogie Ellis fits that description perfectly. Ellis is second in the Pac-12 in scoring with 18.1 points per game and is coming off a fantastic performance against Arizona State where he dropped 28 points.

USC will likely face Arizona State again in the quarterfinals, followed by Arizona in the semis and UCLA in the championship. It would be a gauntlet, but the Trojans have already shown they can beat the Bruins and Ellis is the type of player that can take over a game. At +700 odds, USC is worth a sprinkle.

2023 Pac-12 Tournament Bracket & Details

When is the Pac-12 Tournament?

The Pac-12 Tournament will take place March 8-11, 2023.

Where is the Pac-12 Tournament?

The Pac-12 Tournament will be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

How to Watch the Pac-12 Tournament?

You can watch the Pac-12 Tournament on the Pac-12 Network and ESPN.

Click Here to Read Our Other Conference Tournament Predictions:

• ACC
• Big 12
• Big East
• Big Ten
• SEC