NCAA Vegas Prediction: Arizona Wildcats at California Golden Bears
Thursday, February 02, 2012
by Joe Rodriguez
The California Golden Bears will try to keep pace with Pac-12 co-leader Washington on Thursday when it hosts an Arizona Wildcats team in search of a resume-building road win.
California has won 17 straight at home, including 14 this season. The Bears have also shot 50.5 percent and limited opponents to only 36.5 percent from the field at home.
The Wildcats have struggled of late, going 2-4 in their last six games against opponents with a winning record. Arizona is 0-4 in games decided by five or fewer points, and in each of those games has started the second half poorly.
- Arizona Wildcats @ California Golden Bears
When: 11:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 2, 2012
Where: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California
TV: 11 p.m. ET, FSN
Check Live NCAA Basketball Odds on
Justbet Sportsbook
.
Justbet Sportsbook currently have the Golden Bears listed as 7½-point favorites versus the Wildcats.
Arizona Wildcats (14-8): Solomon Hill leads the Wildcats with 12.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. In its last game, a 69-67 loss to visiting Washington, Hill led Arizona with 28 points, including 12 in the final 2:28. Jesse Perry averages 11.6 points and 7.5 rebounds. Ball security will be paramount for Arizona, which is averaging 12.7 turnovers per game. Arizona is 7-1 when committing less turnovers than the opposition, and 7-7 when it commits more turnovers. Junior forward Kevin Parrom will miss the rest of the season because of a fractured bone in his right foot suffered against Washington. He was averaging 4.9 points off the bench.
California Golden Bears (17-5): Allen Crabbe and Jorge Gutierrez picked up this season where they left off last. Gutierrez led California last year with 14.6 points per game and was an All-Pac-10 first-team selection. This season he is averaging 14.1 points and 5.3 rebounds. Crabbe was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year last season. This season, he leads the Golden Bears with 15.8 and 6.1. Both have been named to the John R. Wooden Award Watch List.
1. Arizona leads the series 54-28 and 23-18 in Berkeley. Last season, it took the Wildcats three overtimes to gain a 107-105 win in Berkeley. Because of conference realignment, the teams will meet only once in the regular season for the first time since the 1974-75 season before the Wildcats joined the conference in 1978.
2. California is 29th in the RPI; Arizona is 88th.
3. In the Pac-12 preseason media poll, California was picked to finish second and Arizona third behind UCLA.
BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Golden Bears 68, Wildcats 62.
Bet on NCAA College Basketball games with Justbet Sportsbook , Bet now!
Related Articles
- NCAA Basketball Odds: Oregon Ducks and California Golden Bears
- Basketball Prediction: Stanford Cardinal vs California Golden Bears
- NCAA Baskteball Odds: No 22 California Vs Georgia
- NCAA Baskteball Odds: Austin Peay at No 22 California
- March Madness Betting Pick: No 3 Connecticut vs. No 5 Arizona
Category
Tags
allen crabbe - arizona wildcats - california golden bears - haas pavilion - jesse perry - jorge gutierrez - kevin parrom - solomon hill
