It will be a battle between Pac-12 opponents when the Stanford Cardinal (11-2) welcome the California Golden Bears (6-7) to Maples Pavilion. The game starts at 11 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 2, 2020, and will air on ESPN2.
California Golden Bears vs. Stanford Cardinal Free Prediction
The last time the Golden Bears played, they were defeated by the Harvard Crimson, 71-63. One of Harvard’s largest strengths was getting to the free throw line. They had 37 free throw attempts, while California had 24. Matt Bradley was California’s leading scorer with 15 points on 4-for-14 shooting.
The Cardinal fell to the No. 5 Kansas Jayhawks in their last contest, 72-56. Kansas won the rebounding battle. The Jayhawks had 15 offensive rebounds and 44 total rebounds, while the Cardinal had four and 25, respectively. With 19 points on 5-for-7 shooting, Oscar da Silva was the game’s leading scorer.
After splitting two games last season, this will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. In the last matchup, the Golden Bears won 64-59. The Golden Bears had a better turnover percentage (13.0 vs. 17.6) and had a better free throw rate (0.172 vs. 0.141).
Stanford should have the edge on the offensive side of the ball. The Cardinal currently rank 27th in effective field goal percentage (0.554), while California ranks 176th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.485). Furthermore, the Golden Bears are among the country’s elite at getting to the line, ranking 41st in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.274). The Cardinal, however, rank 12th at keeping opponents off the charity stripe with an opponents’ FTA rate of 0.145.
California Golden Bears vs. Stanford Cardinal Odds Pick
College Basketball Pick: ATS Winner – California, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
Stanford ranks 139th in assists per game (13.2) while California ranks 242nd (9.5).
The Golden Bears rank third in steals allowed per game (4.1) while the Cardinal rank 84th (6.3).
Stanford ranks 156th in rebounds per game (35.5) while California ranks 234th (32.8).
The Cardinal rank 246th in three pointers attempted per game (18.3) while the Golden Bears rank 283rd (13.8).
Stanford blocks 3.8 opponent shots per game, which ranks 69th in the country. California ranks 93rd in blocks allowed per game (3.4).
The Golden Bears’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 7.4, up from 3.9 for the season.
During their last five games, the Cardinal have scored an average of 66.4 points per game (5.9 below their season average) and allowed an average of 59.8 points per game (1.0 above their season average).
