Pac-10 - 2009-2010 Basketball Betting Preview | Sportsbookbuzz.com

Washington surprised everyone by winning the Pac-10 title outright last season. The Huskies were also a solid wager against the number (19-12-1 ATS, 26-9 SU), en route to their first league title in 56 years and their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2007. Expect the Huskies to take a slight step back, which will likely keep them in the black at the window.

UCLA heads into the season as the favorite to win the Pac-10 at +250, but that says everything about its public status as opposed to the players on the roster. Last season’s team went 26-9 (16-17-1 ATS) and lost in the second round of the Big Dance. The good news is this will be a down year for the conference, helping UCLA stay near the top of the league standings.

After its most successful season in over 30 years, Arizona State should come back down to reality this year. The Sun Devils went 25-10 (19-12 ATS) in 2008-09, and made the Tourney after flirting with a Top 10 placing in the national rankings during the second half of the season.

California is a +300 underdog to cash the Pac-10 title this season, but it’s only behind UCLA on the odds list because of the latter’S popularity among square bettors. The Bears return four starters from last season’s 22-11 (16-14 ATS) team, and in this year’s Pac-lO, that might be enough to get them to their first conference championship since 1960.

It’s going to be a long year at USC, but Kevin O’Neill is in charge now, and at the very least he’ll bring some tough-minded discipline to the Trojans, who went 22-13 (18-15 ATS) on their way to their third straight NCAA Tourney appearance last season. Problem is, being tough might not enough.

Arizona is still in a state of flux, even if former Xavier bench boss Sean Miller is now entrenched as the head coach. Miller got a huge break when Nic Wise decided to return to school, so he has an experienced leader running the point. Don’t be surprised if Arizona gets its act together by Christmas and starts reeling off paydays during conference play.

Ken Bone takes over from Tony Bennett at Washington State, which went a disappointing 11-18-1 ATS (17-16 SU) last season. The Cougars couldn’t live up to the expectations of the betting public after going to the Sweet 16 in 2008. They have even less talent on the roster this season, but should be a solid play on the over with Bone installing a more up-tempo system.

It’s hard to believe, but Oregon State is a darkhorse in the Pac-10 after winning the second-ever College Basketball Invitational title last season. They could very well shoot up the money list after going 11-14 ATS (13-17 SU) last season, but a tougher schedule is likely to keep them grounded.

Stanford is looking down the barrel of a last-place finish in the Pac-10 this season. The Cardinal were ninth last year, going 18-13 (17-11-1 ATS) overall. The hope for bettors looking to play the Cardinal is that the team sees enough points by season’s end to make the school a worthwhile wager.

The Ducks went a dismal 8-23 (9-21 ATS), but they played one of the toughest schedules in the country – including seven games against Top 25 opponents. Problem was, Oregon didn’t win any of those games and finished 2-16 SU in the Pac-10. Bettors will have to take a wait-and-see approach with this year’s squad.