Washington State Cougars (13-5) vs. California Golden Bears (6-12)
January 20, 2024 5:00 pm EDT
The Line: California Golden Bears +1.5; Over/Under: +146.5
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The Washington State Cougars and the Cal Golden Bears meet in college basketball action from the Haas Pavilion on Saturday afternoon. Can Washington State keep the win streak alive? Or will Cal get the win in a bounce back spot? Let’s dive in and find out with our Washington State vs. Cal Prediction.
Washington State Team Preview
The Washington State Cougars come into this one looking to build on their three-game win streak after an 89-75 win over Stanford last time out. Isaac Jones leads the Cougars in scoring and rebounding with team-highs of 15.8 PPG and 7.6 RPG while Myles Rice has 15.8 PPG with 2.4 RPG and a team-high 3.6 APG, making up the pair of double-digit scorers for Washington State up to this point in the year as Wazzu’s leading assist man. Andrej Jakimovski has 9.7 PPG with 5.7 RPG and Jaylen Wells has 9 PPG with 4.4 RPG as well for the Cougars this year. As a team, Washington State is averaging 75.5 PPG, 47.7% shooting from the field, 33.6% from three and 69.2% from the foul line this season.
Cal Team Preview
The Cal Golden Bears come into this one looking to bounce back from a 77-75 loss to Washington last time out. Jaylon Tyson leads the Golden Bears in scoring and assists with 20.5 PPG and 3 APG in addition to 7.1 RPG while Fardaws Aimaq has 15.3 PPG with a team-high 10.5 RPG to lead Cal on the glass this season, averaging a double-double per game. Jalen Cone has 14.3 PPG while Keonte Kennedy has 10.1 PPG and 5.5 RPG with 2.3 APG to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Cal so far this season. As a team, Cal is averaging 75.3 PPG on 43.3% shooting from the field, 34.3% from three and 71.5% from the foul line this season.
Washington State vs. Cal Prediction
I’m on Washington State here. I just think the Cougars are built offensively to exploit Cal’s weaknesses, as the Cougars are one of the best in Pac-12 play in 2-point shooting while Cal’s struggled to defend the inside shot. Cal’s also really struggled on the offensive end of the floor and I don’t see those issues getting any better in this spot in all honesty. Give me the Cougars here.
