The Golden Bears and Runnin’ Utes are set to face off at 9:00 ET on PACN. The Runnin’ Utes will host the game at Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, UT. The over/under line for this matchup is currently at 154.5 points, and Utah is favored by -8.5 to win at home against California.

CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS VS UTAH RUNNIN’ UTES BETTING PICK

The Pick: California Golden Bears +8.5

This game will be played at Jon M. Huntsman Center at 9:00 ET on Saturday, March 2nd.

WHY BET THE CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 75-70 in favor of the Runnin’ Utes.
  • Even though we have Utah winning straight-up, we like California at +8.5.
  • The over/under is currently sitting at 154.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 145 points.

Taking a Look at the Golden Bears Chances in Salt Lake City

Cal comes into this game as the underdog, as they have been in 19 of their 29 games this season. They are 7-12 in those games, and their average scoring margin on the road this season is -6.1 points per game.

Most recently, Cal lost to Colorado by a score of 88-78. Over their last 10 games on the road, the Golden Bears have gone just 3-7.

California has an ATS record of 15-12-2 this season, including a road ATS record of 8-4. As the underdog, the Golden Bears have gone 13-5-1 vs. the spread this year. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, Cal has an ATS mark of 7-2-1. On the road, their ATS record is 6-4 in their last 10 contests.

California’s over/under record this season is 18-11 and the average scoring total in their games is 151.2 points. Today’s over/under line of 154.5 is higher than the average OU line in their games (146.4). Over their last three games, their over/under record is 2-1 and the average scoring total in those games is 151 points.

The California offense is coming off a game in which they scored 78 points vs. Colorado. Overall their field goal percentage was 42% while connecting on 9 threes. Leading the team in scoring was Jaylon Tyson with 25 points. Keonte Kennedy also added 13 points for the Golden Bears.

Coming into today’s game, the California defense is giving up an average of 76.2 points per contest. On average, opposing teams are hitting 7.7 threes per game vs. Utah. This has come on three-point shooting percentage of 35.6%.

Do the Runnin’ Utes Have What it Takes to Win as Home Favorites?

Utah will look to build on their 14-4 record as the favorite this season when they host California tonight. The Utes have been a much better team at home this year, going 14-4 compared to 3-7 on the road.

Utah comes into the game with a record of 17-11 overall and 8-9 in Pac-12 play. They have won three of their last five games and are coming off a 90-68 win over Stanford.

As the favorite, Utah has an ATS record of 10-8 this season and is 5-5 in their last 10 games as the favorite. Their overall ATS record this season is 13-15. At home, the Utes have an ATS mark of 10-8 and are 6-4 vs. the spread in their last 10 home games.

So far this season, the over/under record for Utah games is 14-12-2. The average scoring total in their games is 151.5 points, which is 3.1 points lower than the average over/under line of 154.6 points. Over their last three games, the OU record is 3-0 and the average scoring total in those games is 150 points.

In their recent matchup, the Utah offense ended with 90 points against Stanford. They finished with an overall field goal percentage of 49.2% and made 12 threes. Leading Utah in scoring vs. Stanford was Cole Bajema with his 21 points. Lawson Lovering also added 17 points for the Runnin’ Utes.

On defense, Utah is currently around the NCAA average in points allowed, giving up an average of 73.2 points per game. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, Utah’s defense has allowed opponents to shoot 42.8% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 34.5% this season.