The California Golden Bears (7-15, 1-8 Pac-12) look to snap their eight-game losing streak when they go head-to-head against the Oregon Ducks (14-7, 4-4 Pac-12) at Haas Pavilion. The game can be seen on Pac-12 Network at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 1, 2018.
Oregon is an 8.5-point favorite on the opening line, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 145 points.
Oregon Ducks at California Golden Bears Free Prediction
In the Ducks’ last game, they beat the Oregon State Beavers, 66-57. The Ducks made 19 of their 24 free throws (79.2 percent) and had a better turnover percentage (14.8 vs. 17.9). Oregon received a boost from Elijah Brown, who was the game’s leading scorer with 20 points on 4-for-10 shooting.
The Golden Bears lost big to the No. 25 USC Trojans in their last outing, 77-59. USC’s turnover percentage was their biggest strength over California. The Trojans had a rate of 12.7 (better than their season average of 13.6), while the Golden Bears posted a mark of 24.1 (above their season average of 17.8). With 23 points on 10-for-14 shooting, Marcus Lee was the game’s high scorer.
The aggressive California offense could be getting to the free throw line a lot in this showdown. The Golden Bears currently rank 68th in the nation with a free throw attempt (FTA) rate of 0.273, while Oregon is among the nation’s most foul-prone squads (giving up a 327th-ranked FTA rate of 0.309). Also, the Ducks rank 47th in offensive efficiency (113.2), while the Golden Bears rank 322nd in defensive efficiency (111.3).
Oregon holds records of 14-7 straight up (SU) and 9-11 against the spread (ATS). Vegas has typically been fairly accurate when setting the O/U total of Ducks games, with 10 unders compared to 9 overs.
Meanwhile, California owns records of 7-15 SU and 7-12 ATS. A little over half of Golden Bears games have also finished under the projected point total.
Justice Sueing has averaged 19.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals over the last five games for California.
After the Ducks won all three matchups against the Golden Bears last season, these teams will go head-to-head for the first time this year. In the last matchup, Oregon won 73-65. The Ducks made 18 of their 23 free throws (78.3 percent) and had a better turnover percentage (13.1 vs. 15.4).
Oregon Ducks at California Golden Bears Free Pick
Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Oregon, ATS Winner – Oregon, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Oregon is 3-4 ATS with 4 unders and 3 overs.
At home, California is 3-8 ATS with 6 overs, 4 unders and 1 push.
Oregon ranks 45th in three pointers attempted per game (25.8) while California ranks 290th (15.3).
The Ducks rank 57th in assists per game (15.8) while the Golden Bears rank 254th (10.6).
Oregon ranks 22nd in blocks allowed per game (2.4) while California ranks 128th (3.8).
The Ducks rank 36th in rebounds allowed per game (31.8) while the Golden Bears rank 110th (34.1).
Oregon ranks 48th in steals allowed per game (5.4) while California ranks 104th (6.2).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Oregon is 3-2 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
California is 2-3 ATS with 5 unders over their last five games.
The Ducks’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 0.8, down from 8.8 for the season.
During their last five games, the Golden Bears have scored an average of 60.0 points per game (11.2 below their season average) and allowed an average of 77.0 points per game (2.7 below their season average).
