Washington State at Oregon State -7 O/U 151 
Recommendation: Over

Washington State was not a particularly good team this year, finishing 7-11 in a down year for the PAC-12.  The Cougars stumbled down the stretch: 2-4 SU in their last six regular season games, then bowing out of the conference tournament with a first round loss to the same Oregon State team they’ll face today.  Don’t expect Wazzu’s chances of victory to be any better in the short turnaround rematch; the fourth meeting between these same two teams since New Year’s Eve.

The Cougars have survived and advanced through their first two CBI Tournament games thanks to some extremely favorable matchups.  They shot 60% from the floor and hit 25-of-28 from the free throw line against a San Francisco team that simply didn’t have a legitimate defensive gameplan in a step-up-in-class situation.  Then they beat up a Wyoming team that couldn’t win on the road all year, a squad from the underachieving Mountain West Conference (in postseason play, at least) on a night where the Cowboys were ice cold from the floor: 36% shooting, just 2-of-16 from three-point range.  Obviously, the competition stiffens significantly as they travel to Corvallis tonight; bad news for this mediocre Wassou squad.

Oregon State just reached the 20 win mark for the first time in 22 years; a program on the rise.  Beavers head coach Craig Robinson has more CBI Tournament wins than any other coach in the country, including a CBI Championship back in 2009.  They were good enough to beat NIT Final Four team Washington on a neutral floor in the PAC-12 tourney; an explosive offensive ballclub right now.  The Beavers are playing like they’re on a mission at home – four straight wins by double-digit margins.  That’s a streak worth riding tonight.