The California Golden Bears (8-12) travel to face off against the Arizona Wildcats (15-5) on Thursday, February 1st. This game will be played at McKale Center in Tucson and televised on PACN. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 8:30 ET.
California Golden Bears vs Arizona Wildcats
The California Golden Bears Are Coming Off A Win
California comes into this game as a 17.5-point underdog, and they have been the underdog in 12 of their 20 games this season. They are 4-8 in those games, and they are just 1-9 on the road this season.
After their 73-71 win over Stanford, the Golden Bears have won two games in a row. Their overall record is 8-12, and they are 4-5 in Pac-12 games.
California has an ATS record of 10-9-1 this season and they are 5-2 against the spread on the road. As the underdog, the Golden Bears have a record of 9-3 vs. the spread this year and they are 7-3 in their last 10 games as the underdog.
This season, the over/under record for California games is 13-7 and today’s line of 157.5 is higher than the average over/under line in their games (146). So far, 19 of their games have had lower over/under lines than today’s line. In their last three games, the over/under record is 1-2 with an average scoring total of 150 points.
The Arizona Wildcats Are Coming Off A Win
Arizona has been dominant at home this season, going 11-0 with an average scoring margin of +30.0 points per game. The Wildcats have won 10 straight games at home, and they have gone 14-5 as the favorite this season.
Overall, Arizona is 15-5 this season and 6-3 in Pac-12 play. The Wildcats’ average scoring margin on the road is +0.7 points per game, and they are 4-5 away from home.
When looking at Arizona’s ATS record this season, they are currently 13-7. At home, their ATS mark sits at 9-2. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Wildcats have gone 4-6 vs. the spread.
Arizona’s over/under record this season sits at 10-9-1, and today’s line of 157.5 is right around the average over/under line in their games this season (157.8). So far, 11 of their games have finished with more points than today’s line. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 158 points, and their over/under record over their last 10 games is 6-3-1.
California Offense Breakdown
The Golden Bears’ offense finished with 73 points in their previous game, mirroring their current average of 75.5 points per contest. Offensively, the Golden Bears have a season long field goal percentage of 43%, which is 293rd in the nation. In terms of three-pointers, they are 202nd in percentage and 78th in three-pointers made.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylon Tyson (G) | 20.6 | 7.2 | 3.2 |
| Fardaws Aimaq (F) | 15.3 | 10.8 | 2.3 |
| Jalen Cone (G) | 14.2 | 2.0 | 2.2 |
Arizona Offense Breakdown
Arizona’s offense is coming off a strong performance vs. Oregon, finishing the game with a total of 87 points. Their season average is now 89.2 points per game. The top scorer for the Wildcats was Caleb Love with 36 points, while Kylan Boswell also added 14 to the scoreboard.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Love (G) | 19.3 | 4.7 | 3.1 |
| Pelle Larsson (G) | 12.8 | 4.1 | 3.5 |
| Oumar Ballo (C) | 12.2 | 9.0 | 1.0 |
California Team Defense
Facing Arizona, California aims for a better defensive performance, given their current average of 76.3 points allowed per game (261st). In today’s game vs. Arizona, the California defense will be looking to do a better job avoiding putting opponents on the line. In their last game, California made 18 free-throws vs. the Golden Bears.
Arizona Team Defense
At this time, the Wildcats’ defense is positioned 181st in the country, permitting 72.4 points per game. So far, the Arizona defense is giving up an average of 6.6 offensive rebounds per game and are turning teams over 12.3 times per game (608th).
Golden Bears vs Wildcats Trends
- Through their last ten road games, California has an ATS record of just 6-4. However, their overall record was 1-9 while averaging 68 points per game.
- In their last three games at home, the Wildcats have a straight up record of 1-2 while going 1-2 vs. the spread. The team averaged 79 points per game in this stretch.
- California has done well both straight up and vs the spread as the underdog, going 2-1 SU and 2-1 ATS in their last three games.
- The last ten games that Arizona was favored, they have an ATS mark of 4-6 while going 6-4 straight up.
Golden Bears vs Wildcats Prediction
In this Wildcats vs. Wildcats matchup, our point-spread bet is on the Wildcats at -17.5. While we project the Wildcats to win 75-70, our recommendation is to bet on the Golden Bears for the point-spread.
As for the over/under, the the line is currently at 157.5, and our model projects the Golden Bears and Wildcats to reach a combined total of 145 points. Our bet is on taking the under.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:February 1, 2024 Arizona Wildcats, California Golden Bears