Stanford vs California Basketball Prediction, Odds and Picks - Jan 26

Stanford vs California Basketball Prediction, Odds and Picks - Jan 26 | College Basketball Season 2023-24

Modified Jan 26, 2024 01:51 GMT

California v USC - the Golden Bears face Stanford next

Stanford vs California will continue the slate of college basketball action as January nears its end. This lesser-known Golden State rivalry could be one of the more exciting games on the schedule if you like high-scoring, high-octane offense.

With both teams not where they want to be in the standings right now, they'll need a decisive win against each other to boost their chances. Heading into this game, the Cardinal have a marginally better record of 10-8, having won five out of eight games in conference play. Cal, on the other hand, are well below .500 at 7-12 and have only won three of their five conference matchups.

A win here would do wonders for either team's confidence as the season moves along.

Stanford vs California Prediction

Coming into this game, Stanford is one of the better-scoring and passing teams in the nation. They're averaging 79.3 PPG (69th) and 17.9 assists (tied for 21st). This means they've been scoring off great ball movement and not relying on just one or two guys to handle the scoring load. This is evident in their best scorer Maxime Raynaud, who is averaging a modest 14.1 PPG.

Cal, on the other hand, has a far better individual scorer in Jaylon Tyson (21.1 PPG), but their offense leaves a lot to be desired. They score only around four fewer points than the Cardinal, but are among the worst passing teams in the nation at a pedestrian 12.3 assists (321st). In what could be a battle of offenses, there is a good chance that a team-based attack would beat iso ball all day — and that is quite clear here.

To cap things off, both teams are far from being good on the defensive end too. As of this writing, they have the 10th and 11th-worst defenses in the Pac-12, with only Washington being them. So this game could be a clash of who scores the most with not a lot of smart, consistent defensive pressure. It's shoot, shoot, and shoot through and through.

Stanford vs California Betting Odds

TEAM	SPREAD	TOTAL	MONEYLINE
STANFORD	+2.5 (-115)	o152.5 (-108)	+110
CAL	-2.5 (-105)	u152.5 (-110)	-132

Stanford vs California Head-to-Head

Stanford vs California in men's college basketball has been going on since 1999 (via GoStanford.com). In these 25 years, the Cardinal leads the all-time series 34-19, having been almost unbeaten at home with a 20-5 record in Berkeley.

The last game too was a massive drubbing for Cal as they were dismantled 75-46 by a well-balanced Cardinal attack around a year ago. Maxime Raynaud led the scorers by 15 points in that game.