The main thing the Arizona Wildcats have to do in Thursday night’s college basketball picks is to avoid looking past an obviously inferior team. The California Golden Bears are bringing up the rear in the Pac-12 when they host Arizona in NCAA basketball games today.
The Wildcats shouldn’t be caught looking ahead in the Arizona vs California best bet, as they should be heavy favorites in every remaining game until the regular season finale to trip to Los Angeles to take on USC and UCLA. The Bears, on the other hand, are ready to wave the white flag on this injury-riddled season as they have dropped seven straight.
Arizona Wildcats vs. California Golden Bears Odds
Arizona Wildcats vs. California Golden Bears Matchup Information
Arizona Wildcats vs. California Golden Bears
Location: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley CA
Date and Time: Thursday, February 9, 2023, 11:00 PM ET
How to Watch: Pac-12 Network
Recent Scores for Last Game
Arizona is nearly a 20-point favorite on the NCAAB odds for Thursday’s NCAAB schedule. The Wildcats are the better team by far as one of the favorites on March Madness bets but have also dominated Cal in recent meetings as winners of 12 straight in the head-to-head series.
Arizona Wildcats vs. California Golden Bears Analysis
This game really comes down to whether the Arizona Wildcats basketball score is high enough to cover the lofty point spread because it’s hard to envision Cal contending for the upset here. Arizona sits right near the top of the Pac-12 college basketball standings (10-3), while the Golden Bears are last in the conference at just 2-10 in league play.
There is just a huge talent disparity between these two NCAA basketball teams, as Arizona is led by All-American candidate Azuolas Tubelis who leads the Pac 12 with 20.8 ppg. Tubelis dropped 40 in last Thursday’s win at Oregon, and Oumar Ballo isn’t a bad secondary scoring option at 15.0 ppg.
Any chance of an upset on the California Golden Bears odds seems out the window, thanks to leading scorer Devin Askew being out for the rest of the season on the college basketball injury report with a sports hernia.
Dejuan Clayton (9.6 ppg) is also questionable with an illness meaning Lars Thiemann (10.4 ppg) likely has to shoulder most of the offensive load against a very good Wildcats defense.
It does look like taking the Wildcats is the Arizona vs California best bet. Along with the nation’s #9 scoring offense, the Wildcats are starting to play clamp-down defense, holding three of their last five opponents to under 60 points.
These two schools are streaking in the opposite direction, with Arizona on a six-game win streak while the Golden Bears have lost seven in a row. The Wildcats ‘only’ won 81-68 in the first meeting of the season in Tucson as -23 point underdogs, but Cal also got 25 points from Askew in that game. Tubelis matched that with 25 for Arizona.
The Wildcats have not only won six in a row, but they’ve also covered the number in five of those, which has brought their ATS record up to 11-12-1 on the year. The Golden Bears are just 3-10 SU at home this season.
Odds Breakdown
Arizona Wildcats
Moneyline: OFF
Spread: -19
Over/Under: 141.5
California Golden Bears
Moneyline: OFF
Spread: +19
Over/Under: 141.5
Arizona Wildcats vs. California Golden Bears Betting Pick and Prediction
Tubelis is one of the best college basketball players in the country, and with California banged up, if they were to pull off the outright win, it would be one of the biggest upsets of the season. It’s just really hard to envision Arizona keeping its foot on the gas for this matchup against the last-place team in the Pac-12.
Arizona was a -20.5 favorite on Monday against Oregon State, and they blew them out of the water 84-52. That game was at home, though, and the Arizona vs California best bet seems to be taking all of those points.
Pick 1: Cal +19.5
Pick 2: Under 141.5
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