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It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Fresno State Washington State prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Fresno State Washington State.
This college basketball season will be quite a ride for the Washington State Cougars. They will play conference games in the West Coast Conference before the Pac-12 is remade with Gonzaga in a few years. To prepare for the WCC, they need to play a tougher nonconference slate and pick up quality wins which will help them boost their NCAA Tournament resume. Fresno State, being a Mountain West opponent, is meant to be a challenge for Fresno State, but so far this season, the Bulldogs have not looked like an especially formidable team.
Fresno State has lost to Bakersfield and Santa Barbara, and it barely defeated Long Beach State this past weekend. The Bulldogs look like a team which will clearly finish in the bottom rung of the Mountain West. Washington State might not be getting the quality of competition it wants in this game to boost its NCAA Tournament profile to a significant degree. That said, Washington State has to go out and win this game convincingly; the alternative would not be good for the Cougars' NET ranking and their other metrics, so even though Fresno State does not look like a resume-boosting opponent, WSU can't allow this game to slip away. Then the Cougars' resume will take a major hit, the kind this program cannot afford in November.
Bettors need to know that this is a neutral-site game, played in Palm Desert, California not that far from Indian Wells.
Here are the Fresno State-Washington State College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Fresno State-Washington State Odds
Fresno State: +13.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +680
Washington State: -13.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -1010
Over: 158.5 (-110)
Under: 158.5 (-110)
How to Watch Fresno State vs Washington State
Time: 11:59 p.m. ET / 8:59 p.m. PT
TV: TruTV
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Fresno State Will Cover The Spread/Win
The spread is huge, and Fresno State is getting almost 14 points. Fresno State might not be an especially strong team, but having just defeated Long Beach State in a tight one after losing a few games earlier in the month of November should fuel this team with confidence for the road ahead, starting with this game. Players are going to get excited about playing a neutral-site game in a brand-new arena for Feast Week. You should see a lot of energy and determination in this Fresno State squad, which knows that Washington State was an NCAA Tournament team last season. That will motivate the Bulldogs even more. Washington State is also starting over in a very real sense this season, with David Riley becoming the team's new head coach after Kyle Smith left for Stanford. Riley is a promising, young coach who could become something special in the course of time, so he's not a bad coach overall, but Kyle Smith was absolutely brilliant. Washington State hasn't yet proved in a full and conclusive way that Riley is the equal of Smith. He could become that in the course of time, but it's just too early to tell. There is legitimate reason to be skeptical of Washington State from a betting standpoint.
Why Washington State Will Cover The Spread/Win
Washington State already has a solid resume win against Bradley. The Cougars' only loss was to Iowa, which is hardly a bad loss. Wazzu has the athletes and the skill level to not merely beat Fresno State, but really pour it on the Bulldogs. This is an important game, and WSU will play with the intensity needed to win big.
Final Fresno State-Washington State Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to Washington State, but the spread is large. Maybe wait for a live-play angle in this game.
Final Fresno State-Washington State Prediction & Pick: Washington State -13.5
