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It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a California-Stanford prediction and pick. Find out how to watch California Stanford.
The Stanford Cardinal and Cal Golden Bears get to meet in the ACC Tournament. In previous years, their meetings would occur at the Pac-12 Tournament. In previous years, these San Francisco Bay Area teams would play a conference tournament game in Las Vegas. Now, they are going head to head in Charlotte. It is part of the weird, wild new world of conference realignment. It will be fascinating to see how these teams handle this moment on the opposite coast of the country.
Cal just did defeat Virginia Tech in the first round of the ACC Tournament on Tuesday. It was not easy. The Golden Bears won in double overtime. They trailed Virginia Tech late but managed to get a defensive stop in the final 10 seconds of regulation and survive. Cal went through a rough period in which it missed 10 of 11 shots but stayed afloat and pushed the game into a second overtime period. California then took over and covered the final 3.5-point spread, winning 82-73. It will be interesting to see how Cal responds to that win, and it's something we will discuss when making the case for each side against the spread when Cal plays Stanford:
Here are the California-Stanford College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
ACC Tournament Odds: California-Stanford Odds
California: +5.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +184
Stanford: -5.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -225
Over: 142.5 (-115)
Under: 142.5 (-105)
How to Watch California vs Stanford
Time: 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
Article Continues Below
TV: ESPN2 or ESPNU
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why California Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Stanford Cardinal just can't play consistent basketball. They finished in seventh place in a historically weak ACC. They lost at home to Wake Forest and lost at Notre Dame just before the end of the regular season. They had a lot of chances to prove they could rise above the large group of mediocre teams in the ACC, but they couldn't do it. At some point, a team's potential can't be factored into a betting calculus. The reality of a team, not its talent on paper, should guide betting decisions made about that team. Stanford away from home has been shaky. It's true that this is not a pure road game in Charlotte. Cal won't have a partisan crowd. However, this is still not a Stanford home game. The Cardinal rightly face skepticism about their ability to perform away from Maples Pavilion. With the spread being 5.5 points, Cal has some room in which to maneuver.
Why Stanford Will Cover The Spread/Win
Stanford swept the season series from Cal, home and away. The Cardinal finished above Cal in the ACC standings. Stanford also got to rest on Tuesday while Cal played a double-overtime game. Stanford should be able to wear down a tired California team in the second half. The Cardinal will eventually be able to cover the spread. Stanford coach Kyle Smith is a very good coach. He did an amazing job at Washington State one year ago. He now gets to coach in the ACC Tournament. You know he has been looking forward to this moment, and he will make a difference for the Trees.
Final California-Stanford Prediction & Pick
We are leaning to Stanford, but here's the key: Because Cal played a double-OT game on Tuesday, you should wait for halftime or the second half. Grab Stanford relative to the betting line midway through the half if the game is close. You could get the Trees at a lower spread than the 5.5 pregame line.
Final California-Stanford Prediction & Pick: Stanford -5.5
