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Washington State vs California 1/15/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

California Golden Bears (9-8) vs. Washington State Cougars (9-7)
January 15, 2022 4:00 pm EDT
The Line: Washington State Cougars -9 / California Golden Bears +9 ; Over/Under: 126.5
(Get latest betting odds)

The California Golden Bears will travel to Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum to take on the Washington State Cougars this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.

The California Golden Bears lost their 3rd straight game and dropped to 9-8 on the season after being defeated by the Washington Huskies, 64-55, this past Wednesday night. California struggled with turnovers against Washington and could not fight back after the Huskies took a 62-51 lead with 3:37 left in regulation. California shot 50.0% from the field & 36.4% from beyond the are while allowing Washington to shoot 42.3% from the field & 21.1% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Golden Bears was Jordan Shepherd who had 12 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, & 1 steal.

On the season, California is averaging 65.1 ppg on 44.5% shooting from the field. The Golden Bears are averaging 5.5 three-pointers per game on 33.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, California has been led by Andre Kelly (14.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg), Jordan Shepherd (14.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.2 spg), Grant Anticevich (11.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.2 apg), & Joel Brown (5.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.1 spg).

Defensively, California is holding their opponents to an average of 62.6 ppg on 40.4% shooting from the field. The Golden Bears have a rebound margin of 3.6 and a turnover margin of -1.3.

The Washington State Cougars dropped to 9-7 on the season after being defeated by the Stanford Cardinal, 62-57, this past Thursday. Washington State led by a 35-26 margin at halftime, however, the Cougars allowed Stanford to go on a 23-0 run in the 2nd half and could not fight back after the Cardinal took a 57-43 lead with 3:50 left in regulation. Washington State shot 40.4% from the field & 26.9% from beyond the arc while allowing Stanford to shoot 46.9% from the field & 31.6% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Cougars was Mouhamed Gueye who had a double-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, & 1 steal.

On the season, Washington State is averaging 74.8 ppg on 42.7% shooting from the field. The Cougars are averaging 8.9 three-pointers per game on 33.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Washington State has been led by Michael Flowers (13.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.0 apg), Noah Williams (12.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.2 spg), Tyrell Roberts (11.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.5 apg), & T.J. Bamba (8.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.1 spg).

Defensviely, Washington State is holding their opponents to an average of 64.3 ppg on 40.0% shooting from the field. The Cougars have a rebound margin of 5.5 and a turnover margin of 2.1.

The Bears are 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games, however, are just 3-6 ATS in their last 9 games vs. Washington State. The Cougars are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games and just 2-5 ATS in their last 7 Saturday games at home.

California has been led by their defense which comes into this game ranked 41st in scoring defense & 73rd in defensive FG%, however, the Golden Bears have struggled on the offensive end of the court and currently rank just 306th in scoring offense & 166th in FG%. Washington State has been solid on both ends of the court this season and currently rank t-120th in scoring offense, 68th in scoring defense, & 54th in defensive FG%.

California has played better than expected this season so far, however, the Golden Bears just haven’t been able to put anything together away from home as they come into this game with an 0-5 combined record in away/neutral site games. Washington State suffered a tough loss against Stanford, however, this is a talented team on both ends of the court and as I think their defense is going to give a California team that is averaging just 56.8 ppg away from home some trouble, I think that Michael Flowers and the Cougars offense do enough to win this one by double-digits and cover this spread. Good Luck!

Brett Nault's Free Pick: Washington State Cougars -9

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Brett Nault

Brett has been involved with sports his entire life, whether playing them or betting on them, and loves using his education in data analytics to break down all matchups to get you a competitive edge. Follow Brett Nault on Twitter @BrettCU05

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