Colorado Buffaloes vs California Golden Bears Prediction, 12/31/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Colorado Buffaloes vs California Golden Bears

Date: Saturday, December 31, 2022

Location: Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, CA

TV: Youtube TV

The Colorado Buffaloes (8-5) are en route to Haas Pavilion on Saturday where they will meet the California Golden Bears (1-12).

The Colorado Buffaloes faced off with Southern Utah and earned the victory with a final of 86-78 in their last contest. Colorado wrapped up the game having earned a 47.0% field goal percentage (31 out of 66) and converted 3 of their 17 3-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Buffaloes buried 21 of their 32 tries for a rate of 65.6%. Concerning rebounding, they collected a total of 38 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 14 assists for the contest as well as forcing 15 turnovers and getting 12 steals. When it comes to the defense, Colorado let their opponent shoot 40.9% from the field on 27 out of 66 shooting. Southern Utah distributed 11 assists and had 3 steals for the matchup. Additionally, Southern Utah snagged 37 rebounds (9 offensive, 28 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Southern Utah finished the game at 92.3% from the charity stripe by knocking down 12 of 13 shots. They also made 12 out of their 29 attempts from long range. Concerning fouls, the Buffaloes ended up walking away with 12 and Southern Utah finished the game with 22 fouls.

KJ Simpson is one player who was important for the matchup. He left the arena with 21 points on 5 of 14 shooting. He played 33 minutes played and also collected 3 boards. He shot 35.7% from the field and earned 4 dimes.

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Colorado heads into this matchup with a record of 8-5 for the season. They average 76.4 points per contest (112th in Division 1) while connecting on 45.8% from the floor. The Buffaloes are hitting 32.7% on three-point shots (90 of 275) and 64.8% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Colorado is collecting 39.8 boards per game and has 185 assists for the campaign, which ranks 123rd in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They are giving up possession 13.3 times per game and as a squad are committing 16.7 personal fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Buffaloes are forcing their opponents into 13.9 turnovers per game and they draw 19.3 fouls. They currently rank 83rd in D-1 in giving up assists with 139 conceded on the season. The Buffaloes defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 41.6% (321 of 771) and they concede 33.8 rebounds per game as a group. They are giving up 33.7% on shots from downtown and they are 198th in college basketball in PPG allowed (69.2).

In their last game, the California Golden Bears got the victory with a final of 73-51 when they played UT Arlington. Concerning rebounds, California allowed UT Arlington to collect 26 in all (9 on the offensive glass). They finished 20.0% from beyond the perimeter by hitting 5 of 25 and ended up shooting 14 of 18 at the charity stripe (77.8%). The Golden Bears permitted UT Arlington to make 16 out of their 50 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 32.0% for the game. Overall, the Golden Bears ended up going 26 for 46 from the field which had them at 56.5%. When it comes to shots from distance, California converted 3 out of their 7 attempts (42.9%). They were able to bury 18 of them for a percentage of 72.0%. UT Arlington earned 21 fouls for the contest which got the Golden Bears to the free throw line for a total of 25 attempts. They also turned it over 10 times, while earning 3 steals for this game. The Golden Bears collected 25 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive boards totaling 29 for the game.

Joel Brown ended up being important for the Golden Bears for the contest. He recorded 17 points in his 35 mins on the court and earned 2 assists for this game. He buried 7 of 13 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 53.8%, and tallied 6 rebounds.

California has a win-loss record of 1-12 on the campaign. The Golden Bears have committed 17.3 personal fouls every game and they shoot 76.1% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 9.8 times per game (356th in Division 1) and they are losing possession via turnover 13.9 times per contest. California has 769 pts for the season (59.2 per contest) and they grab 31.5 boards per contest. When it comes to offense, the Golden Bears are hitting on 40.6% from the field, which ranks them 336th in college basketball.

The California defense concedes 31.6% on shots from 3-point land (81 of 256) and opponents are converting on 73.2% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 12.5 dimes and 33.4 rebounds per game, which is 181st and 140th in the nation. The Golden Bears on the defensive end are ranked 120th in college hoops in points allowed per game with 66.3. They are able to force 11.0 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 43.7% from the floor (241st in the country).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Colorado

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