It will be a battle between Pac-12 opponents when the Washington Huskies (12-4, 2-1 Pac-12) welcome the California Golden Bears (7-9, 1-2 Pac-12) to Alaska Airlines Arena. The game will air on Pac-12 Network at 11 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 11, 2018.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 153 points with Washington set as a 9.5-point favorite.
California Golden Bears vs. Washington Huskies Betting Prediction
The last time the Golden Bears played, they were blown out by the UCLA Bruins, 107-84. One of UCLA’s largest strengths was getting to the free throw line. They made 33 trips to the line, while California went 26 times. California’s Marcus Lee played well, contributing 19 points and 15 rebounds.
The Huskies beat the Washington State Cougars in their last game, 70-65. Washington’s 21.8 turnover percentage was their biggest advantage over Washington State, who had a mark of 26.3. The Huskies’ mark was worse than their season average of 16.6, while the Cougars’ was above their season average of 16.6. Matisse Thybulle was Washington’s high scorer with 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting.
The upper-echelon offense of Washington will battle against the mid-tier defense of California. The Huskies currently rank 99th in effective field goal percentage (0.534), while the Golden Bears are 299th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.538). The Huskies figure to have the edge on that end of the court. Ball security could be troublesome for the Golden Bears. They rank 288th at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 21.1 percent), while the Huskies force the 45th-most turnovers in the NCAA (opponents’ turnover percentage of 22.4 percent).
California comes into the game with records of 7-9 straight up (SU) and 5-8 against the spread (ATS). Vegas has a tendency to place the total low when the Golden Bears are involved, as eight of their 13 games have finished over the projected point total.
Washington is 12-4 SU, but they struggle covering the spread (6-7-1 ATS). Vegas is exceedingly precise when setting the total of Huskies games, with an even split between overs and unders.
After the Golden Bears won the sole game against the Huskies last season, 69-59, these teams will clash for the first time this year. The Golden Bears had a better free throw rate (0.203 vs. 0.161) and had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (45.0 vs. 40.0).
California Golden Bears vs. Washington Huskies Free Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Washington, ATS Winner – California, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
California is 3-1 ATS on the road with 2 overs and 2 unders.
Washington is 2-5-1 ATS at home with 4 overs and 4 unders.
Washington averages 9.0 steals per game, which ranks 15th in the nation. California ranks 104th in steals allowed per game (6.4).
The Huskies rank 17th in blocks allowed per game (2.3) while the Golden Bears rank 101st (3.7).
Washington ranks 207th in three pointers attempted per game (19.4) while California ranks 267th (14.8).
The Huskies average 12.8 assists per game, which ranks 174th in the nation. The Golden Bears rank 234th in assists allowed per game (17.0).
California ranks 107th in rebounds per game (37.2) while Washington ranks 118th in rebounds allowed per game (34.6).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, California is 1-3 ATS with 3 overs and 1 under.
Washington is 2-2 ATS with 3 unders and 1 over over their last five games.
The Golden Bears’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 8.2, up from 5.7 for the season.
During their last five games, the Huskies have scored an average of 76.6 points per game (2.0 below their season average) and allowed an average of 67.6 points per game (7.8 below their season average).
