College Basketball Picks

Washington State vs California 3/9/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

California Golden Bears (12-19) vs. Washington State Cougars (18-13)
March 9, 2022 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: Washington State Cougars -8 / California Golden Bears +8; Over/Under: 126
(Get latest betting odds)

The 10-seed California Golden Bears & 7-seed Washington State Cougars will square off at T-Mobile Arena this Wednesday night in the 1st round of the Pac-12 Tournament.

The California Golden Bears finished their regular season with an overall record of 12-19 and earned the 10-seed in the Pac-12 Championship after finishing conference play with an overall record of 5-15. California was decent in their non-conference schedule, posting a 7-4 record with wins over Fresno State, Santa Clara, & Arizona State. California struggled in Pac-12 play, losing 10 straight games at one point, however, the Golden Bears did win 4 of their last 7 regular season games which included a 78-64 win at Oregon.

On the season, California is averaging 63.2 ppg on 42.4% shooting from the field. The Golden Bears are averaging 5.5 three-pointers per game on 31.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, California has been led by Jordan Shepherd (14.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.1 spg), Grant Anticevich (9.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.0 apg), Jalen Celestine (7.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg), & Joel Brown (4.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.3 apg).

Defensively, California is holding their opponents to an average of 66.1 ppg on 42.3% shooting from the field. The Golden Bears have a rebound margin of 0.9 and a turnover margin of -1.6.

The Washington State Cougars finished their regular season with an overall record of 18-13 and earned the 7-seed in the Pac-12 Tournament after finishing conference play with a 11-9 record. Washington State finished their non-conference schedule with a 7-4 record with solid wins over Arizona State & Weber State. Washington State suffered a 5-game losing streak in February in Pac-12 play, however, finished the season strong, winning 4 of their last 5 games which included a 20-point victory over Oregon in their regular season finale.

On the season, Washington State is averaging 72.3 ppg on 41.1% shooting from the field. The Cougars are averaging 9.2 three-pointers per game on 34.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Washington State has been led by Michael Flowers (14.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.0 spg), Tyrell Roberts (10.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.0 apg), Noah Williams (10.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.2 spg), & Mouhamed Gueye (8.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg).

Defensively, Washington State is holding their opponents to an average of 65.3 ppg on 42.0% shooting from the field. The Cougars have a rebound margin of 2.7 and a turnover margin of 2.9.

The Golden Bears are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 Wednesday games & 4-1 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games. The Cougars are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 neutral site games & 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games as a favorite.

Washington State was able to defeat California in both of their regular season matchups as the Cougars defeated the Golden Bears by a 65-57 margin at home in mid-January while also winning by a 68-64 margin on the road in their regular season finale.

Washington State has been solid on both ends of the court, ranking 148th in scoring offense & 61st in scoring defense, however, the Cougars have struggled at times with their shot as they come into this game ranked just 311th in FG%. California has really struggled on the offensive end, however, the Bears defense has been decent as the Golden Bears rank 85th in scoring defense & 122nd in defensive FG%. Washington State is the better team, however, this is a team that can struggle at times on the offensive end and as both regular season matchups were low-scoring, competitive games, I think California will be able to do enough with the large number of points to get us a cover. Good Luck!

Brett Nault's Free Pick: California Golden Bears +8

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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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