The Washington State Cougars take on the Stanford Cardinal. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Washington State Stanford prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Washington State Stanford.
The college basketball season has been a turbulent, disjointed journey for both Washington State and Stanford. Washington State has failed to win close games against good teams. Weirdly, Washington State's best and biggest win of the season was a comfortable win, a 13-point romp in Tucson against Arizona. In the games which were really close in the final two or three minutes, however, Washington State couldn't find a finishing kick, losing narrowly to Baylor and also to UCLA in a game the Cougars led for most of regulation time. If Washington State had found ways to win some up-for-grabs games against top teams, the larger trajectory and flow of the season might have been a lot more favorable. As is, the Cougars are going to finish in the middle of the Pac-12 with no NCAA Tournament bid. Coach Kyle Smith shows signs of getting this program to a higher level, but for yet another season, the pieces haven't fully come together for the Cougars.
With Stanford, it's a lot simpler. Jerod Haase has once again failed to produce any accomplishments whatsoever. One would think he is coaching his final few games with the Cardinal and that the program will look for a new coach, maybe Utah Valley coach Mark Madsen, who led Stanford to the 1998 Final Four as a player.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Washington State-Stanford College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Washington State-Stanford Odds
Washington State Cougars: +1.5 (-102)
Stanford Cardinal: -1.5 (-120)
Over: 134.5 (-110)
Under: 134.5 (-110)
How To Watch Washington State vs. Stanford
TV: Pac-12 Network
Stream: Pac-12 Now
Time: 11:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. PT
*Watch Washington State-Stanford LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Washington State Could Cover the Spread
The Cougars have shown that when they play their best, they're a very good team with a high ceiling. We just don't see that version of the Cougs all the time, but when they thumped Arizona by 13 on the road, it was impossible to ignore the potential on this squad. Stanford has had a miserable season and looked terrible last week in a loss to USC. The Cardinal didn't mount much of any resistance on defense and — with the exception of a few games in which they beat Arizona and won at Utah — have played far below their talent level under Jerod Haase, a coach whose days on The Farm in Palo Alto are numbered. It is a legitimate question as to whether the Cardinal will be sufficiently motivated to play in these final few weeks as they play out the string and probably prepare for a head coaching change.
Why Stanford Could Cover the Spread
The Cardinal did play poorly at USC, but two days earlier last week, they pushed UCLA hard and played tough defense against the Bruins before losing the game in the final few minutes. This is an underperforming team, but you are still seeing real effort for the players. They have not quit on Jerod Haase and will perform with energy and intensity here, just as they did when they beat Arizona a few weeks ago.
Washington State's failures in close games are well-known. If this game is tight in the final few minutes, Stanford — playing at home — has to feel it owns the advantage and will make the clutch plays against a snake-bitten program which just can't seem to turn the corner under Kyle Smith.
Final Washington State-Stanford Prediction & Pick
Washington State is the better team, but Stanford has been better in February than it was in January. Stay away from this one.
Final Washington State-Stanford Prediction & Pick: Washington State +1.5
Follow Us
Subscribe