We are almost at the end of the regular season in college basketball, which in turn means we are just days away from Championship Week, and a couple of weeks away from the NCAA Tournament properly. A number of teams have already punched their ticket regardless of what happens before March Madness begins, but it’s still interesting to see how they play heading into the final 68 and how the NCAA Hoops lines behave.
Wildcats vs Golden Bears College Basketball Spread Report
Time: Thursday, 9 p.m. ET
Venue: McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz.
National TV: ESPN
Opening line: Arizona -18.5
NCAAB Lines Analysis and Game Preview
The Arizona Wildcats (26-3, 14-2) are one of those teams that are definitely in already, thanks to a solid season and a #5 ranking to this point. They are quite clearly the class of the PAC 12, but the fact that maybe only two other teams (Utah and Oregon) will get in from that conference tells you that Arizona didn’t perhaps have it as tough as some of the other teams occupying the top spots. All of that said, they still need to win the games they play, and they have done that very well indeed, racking up 12 wins in their last 13. Their last loss came back on February 7th against their bitter rivals, the Arizona State Sun Devils. They seem to have taken that loss to heart, and have been lights out ever since. They will finish the regular season with a pair of home games, starting with California coming into town on Thursday night.
The California Golden Bears (17-12, 7-9) have been on something of a rollercoaster ride over the past couple of months. They followed up a 6-game losing skid with 5 wins in a row, only to fall into a 3-game losing streak. They did win their last outing versus Oregon State, but this high level of inconsistence makes it tough to know which team is going to show up on any given night. California has had 2 wins over ranked teams this season versus 3 losses, with all of the defeats coming on opposition court. That is not something that bodes well for the Golden Bears, as they have to head into hostile territory to face Arizona.
Key Betting Trends
- Arizona is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 games
- Arizona is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona’s last 6 games
- California is 7-15 ATS in its last 22 games
My Prediction and Pick
These two have had one previous meeting this season, and it was the Wildcats who came up with a very comfortable 73-50 win on the road. I don’t see anything here to suggest that California might be ready to spring an upset, so look for Arizona to run out easy winners on their home court.
