California Golden Bears vs Arizona Wildcats Prediction, 2/1/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: California Golden Bears vs Arizona Wildcats

Date: Thursday, February 1, 2024

Location: McKale Center in Tucson, AZ

TV: PAC12

The California Golden Bears (8-12) are traveling to McKale Center on Thursday where they will attempt to defeat the Arizona Wildcats (15-5).

The California Golden Bears took the court against Stanford and notched a win by a score of 73-71 in their last contest. California finished the game having earned a 41.0% FG percentage (25 out of 61) and converted 5 out of their 21 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Golden Bears made 18 of 27 tries for a percentage of 66.7%. In reference to pulling down boards, they collected 36 with 4 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 8 dimes in the game in addition to forcing 12 turnovers and earning 6 steals. Regarding the defense, California allowed 39.7% from the floor on 23 out of 58 shooting. Stanford earned 11 assists and had 3 steals in this contest. Moreover, Stanford pulled down 35 rebounds (5 offensive, 30 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Stanford finished the game at 81.8% from the charity stripe by knocking down 18 of 22 attempts. They made 7 of 24 attempts from beyond the perimeter. When discussing fouls, the Golden Bears finished with 18 while Stanford had 19 fouls.

Jaylon Tyson is a player who was a major contributor for the contest. He shot 42.9% from the floor and dished out 4 assists. He played for 28 mins and also grabbed 6 rebounds. He ended up scoring 14 points on 6 out of 14 shooting.

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California comes into this one with a record of 8-12 so far this year. They turn it over 11.6 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 17.7 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, California is pulling down 37.5 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 241 assists this season, which is 301st in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Golden Bears are shooting 33.9% on shots from distance (173 of 510) and 71.7% from the free throw line. They are averaging 75.5 points per game (149th in D-1) while connecting on 43.0% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Golden Bears are forcing 10.7 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.2 personal fouls. They are ranked 107th in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 244 relinquished this year. The Golden Bears defensively are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 44.8% (535 of 1,195) and they concede 34.6 boards per game as a unit. They are relinquishing 35.9% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 300th in D-1 in points per game allowed (76.3).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Arizona Wildcats walked away with a victory by a final of 87-78 when they played Oregon. Regarding cleaning the glass, Arizona permitted Oregon to pull down 29 in total (9 on the offensive side). They wrapped up this game 38.9% from beyond the perimeter by going 7 of 18 and walked away from this one shooting 19 out of 24 from the charity stripe (79.2%). The Wildcats allowed Oregon to knock down 26 out of 58 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 44.8% in the game. When the final whistle blew, the Wildcats ended up shooting 28 for 57 from the floor which gave them a rate of 49.1%. When discussing shots from 3-point land, Arizona buried 10 of 19 tries (52.6%). They were able to make 21 of the free throw tries for a rate of 77.8%. Oregon committed 18 fouls for this contest which got the Wildcats to the free throw line for a total of 27 attempts. They also turned the ball over 9 times, while earning 7 steals for the matchup. The Wildcats collected 22 defensive boards and 10 offensive rebounds totaling 32 for this game.

Caleb Love pitched in for the Wildcats for the game. He made 12 of 18 for the matchup giving him a field goal percentage of 66.7%, and tallied 3 rebounds. He totaled 36 points in his 39 minutes on the court and added 2 assists for the matchup.

Arizona has a record of 15-5 so far this season. As an offensive unit, the Wildcats are shooting 48.9% from the floor, which has them ranked 19th in the nation. Arizona has accounted for 1,785 pts so far this year (89.3 per game) and they collect 42.9 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 18.8 times per contest (5th in Division 1) and they turn it over 12.4 times per contest. The Wildcats are committing 16.5 personal fouls per contest while shooting 72.9% from the free throw line.

The Arizona defense gives up 34.7% on shots from distance (167 of 481) and their opponents are converting on 71.0% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 14.3 dimes and 30.9 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks them 299th and 17th in those defensive categories. The Wildcats on the defensive end are ranked 205th in college hoops in points given up per game with 72.5. They have forced 14.6 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 43.0% from the field (161st in college basketball).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take California

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