San Francisco Dons vs Washington State Cougars Prediction, 1/4/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: San Francisco Dons vs Washington State Cougars

Date: Saturday, January 4, 2025

Location: Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, WA

TV: ESPN+

The San Francisco Dons (12-3) are en route to Beasley Coliseum on Saturday where they will attempt to defeat the Washington State Cougars (12-3).

The San Francisco Dons played Santa Clara and took home the win by a score of 97-94 in their last contest. San Francisco finished with a 52.3% field goal percentage (34 out of 65) and made 10 of their 29 3-pointers. From the charity stripe, the Dons converted 19 of 31 shots for a percentage of 61.3%. Pertaining to grabbing rebounds, they earned 29 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 18 assists for this contest while forcing 12 turnovers and earning 7 steals. In relation to defending, San Francisco allowed 50.8% from the floor on 32 out of 63 shooting. Santa Clara doled out 16 dimes and had 4 steals for this game. Additionally, Santa Clara snagged 35 boards (8 offensive, 27 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Santa Clara finished shooting 65.5% when shooting free throws by knocking down 19 of their 29 attempts. They also converted 11 of 31 tries from beyond the arc. When talking about fouls, the Dons walked away with 22 and Santa Clara had 21 fouls.

Malik Thomas is one player who was a major contributor in this matchup. He shot 42.9% from the field and recorded 3 assists. He was on the hardwood for 41 mins and snagged 8 boards. He ended up with 34 points on 9 out of 21 shooting.

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San Francisco comes into this game with a mark of 12-3 so far this year. They turn it over 12.7 times per game and as a group are committing 17.4 fouls per game. As a team, San Francisco is pulling down 37.1 rebounds per game and is sitting with 222 assists for the season, which is 62nd in the country in terms of passing the ball. The Dons are connecting on 35.5% on shots beyond the perimeter (133 of 375) and 66.7% from the charity stripe. They average 76.7 points per outing (152nd in the country) while shooting 47.0% from the field.

On defense, the Dons are forcing their opponents into 14.1 turnovers per game while drawing 17.7 personal fouls. They relinquish 31.2% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 35th in college in points per game from their opponents (64.3). The Dons defensively are allowing a shooting percentage of 40.2% (341 of 849) and they surrender 33.7 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are ranked 87th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 153 conceded for the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the Washington State Cougars took home the win by a final score of 73-59 against Loyola Marymount. With respect to how they attacked the glass, Washington State allowed Loyola Marymount to pull down 27 in total (5 on the offensive side). They finished 14.3% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 3 out of 21 and ended up shooting 10 out of 15 at the free throw line (66.7%). The Cougars allowed Loyola Marymount to bury 23 of their 58 tries from the floor which left them shooting 39.7% for this contest. When the game finished, the Cougars finished the game shooting 28 for 57 from the field which gave them a rate of 49.1%. Concerning three-point shots, Washington State buried 7 of 19 attempts (36.8%). They were able to make 10 of those for a percentage of 71.4%. Loyola Marymount was called for 21 fouls for the contest which got the Cougars to the charity stripe for a total of 14 shots. They coughed up the ball 16 times, while recording 6 steals for the contest. The Cougars recorded 30 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards totaling 38 in this contest.

Nate Calmese pitched in for the Cougars in this game. He scored 20 points in his 30 minutes of playing time and added 4 dimes in this contest. He converted 9 of 17 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 52.9%, and accounted for 3 rebounds.

Washington State has a mark of 12-3 this season. In terms of offensive execution, the Cougars are shooting 49.5% from the field, which is ranked 27th in college. Washington State has scored 1,214 points so far this season (80.9 per game) and they average 37.3 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 17.4 times per contest (34th in college) and they turn the ball over 15.3 times per game. The Cougars are responsible for committing 20.0 personal fouls every game and they go 69.8% from the free throw line.

The Washington State defense allows 29.9% on shots from distance (104 of 348) and their opponents are making 67.8% of their free throw shots. They concede 12.9 assists and 32.6 boards every game, which is 171st and 96th in Division 1. The Cougars defensively are ranked 249th in the country in points given up per game with 73.5. They have forced 12.3 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 42.5% from the floor (153rd in college).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Washington State

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