The Saint Joseph’s Hawks and the California Golden Bears meet Sunday in NIT college basketball action from Haas Pavilion in Berkeley. Here’s a California vs. Saint Joseph’s prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best California vs. Saint Joseph’s pick.
Saint Joseph’s Hawks Betting Preview
The Hawks got through their first 18 games this year with an 11-7 overall record. Saint Joseph’s hit a 4-3 stretch over the next seven outings, featuring losses to VCU, George Mason and Fordham. Wins over St. Bonaventure, Loyola, George Mason, Rhode Island, Davidson (twice), La Salle and Colorado State have come since then, along with a loss in conference tournament play versus VCU.
In the NIT game versus Colorado State on Wednesday, the Hawks held a five-point edge, 33-28 by the end of the first half. St. Joseph’s finished on a 36-36 run and powered out the victory in the end, 69-64. Jaiden Glover-Toscano (three rebounds), Derek Simpson (nine rebounds; three assists; three steals) and Austin Williford (six rebounds and three assists) each had a team-high 13 points in the win.
California Golden Bears Betting Preview
Over on the Cal side, they were 13-5 back in mid-January and coming off a rough 1-4 run. Wins over North Carolina, Stanford, Miami and Georgia Tech came in the next five, then losses to Clemson and Syracuse. California hit a 4-2 stretch to finish off the regular season, falling to Pitt and Wake Forest, and then lost to Florida State in conference tourney play. The Bears have most recently taken out UIC.
Matched up against the Flames in the NIT First Round back on Wednesday, the Bears were up 39-35 as they came back out onto the floor in the second half. California closed on a 52-38 run and ended up taking the victory 91-73 as time ran out. The Bears were led by Chris Bell with 31 points and three rebounds, while Justin Pippen added 18 points with four rebounds, four steals and six assists.
Why the California Golden Bears will win
- California has won each of its last 12 games against non-Conference opponents at Haas Pavilion.
- Saint Joseph’s has lost each of its last four night games against the Atlantic Coast Conference.
- California has won the first half in each of its last eight night games against non-Conference opponents at Haas Pavilion.
Why the Saint Joseph’s Hawks will win
- Saint Joseph’s has won nine of its last 10 night games.
- California has lost three of its last four games against the Atlantic 10 Conference.
- Saint Joseph’s has won the first half in 10 of its last 11 night games.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Saint Joseph’s last nine night games has produced a total of 149 or fewer points.
- Four of California’s last five home games have produced a total of 142 or fewer points.
Matchup/League Facts
- California ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for opponent free throw percentage this season (66.0%).
- California ranks 13th among Division 1 teams for free throw percentage this season (78.3%).
- Saint Joseph’s ranks 12th among Division 1 teams for opponent free throw percentage this season (68.4%).
- Saint Joseph’s ranks 19th among Division 1 teams for blocks per game this season (4.9).
California vs Saint Joseph’s Prediction
I’ll stick with California but I’m not super excited about it. The Bears weren’t especially dominant versus UIC in their latest win, giving up 50.1 percent from the field with a 24-24 tie on the boards, a 50-28 deficit in the paint and 15 turnovers for 17 Flames points. Cal was great on offense though, hitting 56.1 percent from the field, 53.6 percent (15-of-28) from outside and a perfect 12-of-12 at the line. The Bears are just 2-3 in their last five games and they’ve given up 73 or more points in three straight.
As for Saint Joseph’s, they didn’t shoot great (39.7 percent) in their win over Colorado State, but neither did the Rams (36.2 percent). The Hawks added 14 turnovers for 16 Colorado State points but also did pretty well from the line at 80 percent (16-of-20). Saint Joseph’s is still 8-1 in their last nine games though, and scoring pretty well overall.