Betting on today’s Golden Bears and Wildcats game? Catch the action at McKale Center in Tucson, AZ, as the Wildcats hosts this showdown at 8:30 ET on PACN. The odds for this Pac-12 conference game currently have Arizona as the -17.5 point favorite with the over/under line sitting at 158 points.

CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS VS ARIZONA WILDCATS BETTING PICK

The Pick: California Golden Bears +17.5

This game will be played at McKale Center at 8:30 ET on Thursday, February 1st.

WHY BET THE CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 75-70 in favor of the Wildcats.
  • Even though we have Arizona winning straight-up, we like California at +17.5.
  • The over/under is currently sitting at 158 points, and we like the under with a projected 145 points.

Does California Stand a Chance on the Road?

California heads into this game as a heavy underdog, as they are getting 17.5 points. On the season, they have gone 8-12, including a 4-5 mark in Pac-12 play. Their road record is just 1-6, and they are coming off a win over Stanford.

Over their last 10 games on the road, the Golden Bears have gone just 1-9. For the year, they have been outscored by an average of 5.0 points per game on the road, compared to a +1.5 average scoring margin at home.

As the underdog, California has a solid ATS record of 9-3 this season. On the road, the Golden Bears have gone 5-2 vs. the spread this year and they are 6-4 in their last 10 road games vs. the spread. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, California has a strong ATS mark of 7-3 and they are 3-0 in their last three games as the underdog.

So far this season, the over/under record for California games is 13-7. The average over/under line in their games is 146 and the average score is 151.8. Over their last three games, their games have averaged 150 points compared to their season-long average of 151.8.

The Golden Bears’ offense wrapped up their last game with 73 points, aligning closely with their current season average of 75.5 points per contest. The team’s top scorer is Jaylon Tyson, who comes into today’s matchup with an average of 20.6, while Fardaws Aimaq also maintains a PPG average of 15.3 leading up to the game.

Looking at the California defense, they will be looking for a better performance considering they are currently conceding 76.3 points per game (259th). Against Stanford in their most recent game, the California defense gave up a total of 71 points while allowing Stanford to hit 41% of their shots.

Will the Arizona Defense Show Up at Home?

Arizona has been dominant at home this season, going 11-0 with an average scoring margin of +30.0 points per game. They have won their last 11 games at home, and their overall record this season is 15-5.

As the favorite, the Wildcats have gone 14-5 this season, and they have been favored in 19 of their 20 games. Their average scoring margin at home this season is +30.0 points per game.

As the favorite this season, Arizona has gone 12-7 vs the spread. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Wildcats are 4-6 vs the spread. At home, Arizona has an ATS record of 9-2 this year.

Today’s over/under line of 158 is right in line with the average over/under line in Arizona’s games this season (157.8). So far, the over/under record in their games is 10-9-1. In their last three games, the over/under record is 3-0 and their games this season are averaging 161.7 points per game.

Arizona’s offense had a good outing, putting up 87 points against Oregon. They achieved a 49.1% field goal percentage and went 21/27 from the free-throw line. Leading the team in scoring is Caleb Love, who is averaging 19.3 heading into today’s matchup. Additionally, Pelle Larsson also maintains a PPG average of 12.8 heading into game.

Coming into today’s game, the Arizona defense is giving up an average of 72.4 points per contest. Against Oregon in their most recent game, the Arizona defense gave up a total of 78 points while allowing Oregon to hit 44% of their shots.