Washington State Cougars vs California Golden Bears Prediction, 1/20/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Washington State Cougars vs California Golden Bears

Date: Saturday, January 20, 2024

Location: Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, CA

TV: PAC12

The California Golden Bears (6-11) will try to defeat the Washington State Cougars (12-5) at Haas Pavilion on Saturday.

The Washington State Cougars faced Arizona and took home the win by a score of 73-70 in their last contest. Concerning fouls, the Cougars ended up with 18 and Arizona recorded 18 fouls. They also made 7 of 24 tries from beyond the arc. Arizona finished shooting 61.9% when shooting free throws by making 13 of 21 shots. In addition, Arizona grabbed 42 rebounds (19 offensive, 23 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Arizona dished out 14 dimes and had 7 steals for the matchup. In terms of defending, Washington State let their opponent shoot 34.7% from the floor on 25 out of 72 shooting. They also doled out 12 assists in this game as well as forcing 10 turnovers and earning 6 steals. When discussing grabbing rebounds, they collected 35 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. From the free throw line, the Cougars knocked down 17 of 21 shots for a percentage of 81.0%. Washington State walked away from the contest with a 46.4% field goal percentage (26 of 56) and knocked down 4 out of their 13 three-point shots.

Isaac Jones is a player who came through for this contest. He walked away from this one shooting 53.3% from the field but had no assists at the end of the game. He was on the court for 36 mins played and also grabbed 13 rebounds. He notched 24 points on 8 out of 15 shooting.

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Washington State steps onto the hardwood with a record of 12-5 this year. They are turning it over 10.9 times per contest and as a group they commit 17.6 personal fouls per game. As a team, Washington State is collecting 38.2 boards per contest and has earned 220 assists for the campaign, which is 237th in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Cougars are shooting 33.5% from downtown (106 of 316) and 69.6% from the free throw line. They are averaging 74.7 points per contest (183rd in D-1) while hitting 47.3% from the floor.

On defense, the Cougars are forcing 10.8 turnovers per game while drawing 18.1 fouls. They give up 31.7% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 60th in Division 1 in points per game from their opponents (66.0). The Cougars defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 39.5% (383 of 969) and they concede 32.4 rebounds per game as a squad. They are 14th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 173 conceded on the year.

In their last game, the California Golden Bears took a loss by a score of 80-73 when they faced Oregon. Regarding team rebounding, California allowed Oregon to pull down 31 in total (5 offensive). They shot 35.7% from 3-point land via 10 of 28 and walked away from this one shooting 12 out of 19 at the free throw line (63.2%). The Golden Bears permitted Oregon to convert 29 of 63 tries from the floor which left them shooting 46.0% for this contest. When the final whistle blew, the Golden Bears walked away from this one shooting 28 for 63 from the field which had them sitting at 44.4%. Pertaining to three-point attempts, California made 6 of 24 tries (25.0%). They were able to make 11 of those for a rate of 64.7%. Oregon earned 16 fouls in the matchup which got the Golden Bears to the free throw line for a total of 17 attempts. They also turned the ball over 5 times, while recording 3 steals in this contest. The Golden Bears recorded 27 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds totaling 33 in this matchup.

Jaylon Tyson ended up having an impact for the Golden Bears in this matchup. He buried 8 of 18 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 44.4%, and had 10 rebounds. He had 20 points in his 33 minutes on the hardwood and tallied 2 assists for this game.

California has a win-loss mark of 6-11 this season. The Golden Bears have committed 17.8 fouls every game and they shoot 72.3% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 12.2 times per contest (274th in college basketball) and they lose possession via turnover 12.4 times per contest. California has accounted for 1,281 points for the year (75.4 per contest) and they pull in 37.1 rebounds per game. As an offensive team, the Golden Bears are shooting 43.1% from the field, which has them ranked 269th in college basketball.

The California defense surrenders 36.6% on shots from distance (136 of 372) and their opponents are making 73.7% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have relinquished 12.1 dimes and 33.5 boards per contest, which has them ranked 120th and 112th in college basketball. The Golden Bears on defense are ranked 305th in college basketball in PPG given up with 76.6. They have forced 10.7 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 45.5% from the floor (306th in college hoops).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Washington State

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