Arizona favored in Pac-12 opener against Colorado

It hasn’t been the greatest of seasons so far for the Arizona Wildcats, their four losses in nonconference play the most since 2011-12. Consequently, that was also the last time Arizona failed to make the NCAA tournament.

But the changing of the calendar to 2019 also means the shift to Pac-12 play, where Arizona has been arguably the most dominant team in the conference since Sean Miller took over a decade ago. And the oddsmakers have recognized this, at least for the Wildcats’ first league game Thursday against the Colorado Buffaloes.

Per VegasInsider.com, Arizona has opened as a 6-point home favorite over the Buffaloes, who are 9-3 this season.

That’s the smallest point spread the Wildcats have had at home this season, just a shade ahead of the 6.5-point line for the Dec. 15 game against the Baylor Bears (which doesn’t need to be spoken of beyond that). The last time Arizona was favored by so little at home was last season’s Pac-12 opener against the Arizona State Sun Devils, when as 6-point faves it won 84-78 to push ASU from the ranks of the unbeaten (and start it on the path toward an eighth-place finish).

Arizona is 6-6-1 against the spread this season, 4-4 ATS at home. Colorado, which is 6-6 ATS overall and 1-3 in road games, hasn’t won at McKale Center since 1960 but it has covered in five straight visits (though each time it was a double-digit underdog).

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