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It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Stanford-California prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Stanford-California.
The college basketball season is full of interesting plot points, and this game between Stanford and Cal is one particularly notable moment in the pre-Christmas portion of the schedule. Other games will get bigger headlines on a busy college basketball Saturday, but this game is deliciously fascinating for so many different reasons. First of all, it's an ACC league game between the two longtime Pac-12 rivals. The reality that this is an ACC game being shown on the ACC Network is hard to wrap the mind around.
Here's the more interesting part of this clash, however: The head coach for Cal is coaching against his own alma mater. That's right: Cal coach Mark Madsen is coaching against the school he attended. Madsen was a terrific player for Stanford. More than that, he guided the Cardinal to their last Final Four appearance in 1998. Stanford lost to Kentucky in overtime in the national semifinals in San Antonio, coming achingly close to playing for a national championship.
Stanford had a chance to hire Madsen a year and a half ago but chose to retain coach Jerod Haase for one more season. Cal swooped in and hired Madsen. Haase failed one season later, and Stanford finally fired him. The Cardinal hired Kyle Smith, who previously coached in the Pac-12 at Washington State. These teams have ACC labels on their courts, but there is a rich Pac-12 flavor here because both coaches have coached in the Pac-12. Now they will go against each other. It's a great coaching matchup and a game both teams really need in light of what has happened to them in recent days.
Stanford suffered an upset loss to Cal Poly in late November, a result which dragged down the Cardinal's resume. Cal blew an 18-point lead (51-33) and lost to Missouri earlier this week in the ACC-SEC Challenge. Both teams need to overcome some bitter disappointments and get back on the right track if they want to make something of their respective seasons.
Here are the Stanford-California College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Stanford-California Odds
Stanford: +2.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +128
California: -2.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -154
Over: 145.5 (-115)
Under: 145.5 (-105)
How to Watch Stanford vs California
Time: 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT
TV: ACC Network
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Stanford Will Cover The Spread/Win
The spread is arguably too generous to Cal. Why is Cal even favored here? The Golden Bears went up by 18 points at Missouri and were then outscored by more than 20 points the rest of the way in a brutal defeat. Cal got whacked at Vanderbilt and failed to cover the spread in that game. This has been an up-and-down team, not a consistent one. Stanford has tripped in a few of its own games this season, but is Cal actually better? Getting 2.5 points with Stanford seems like great value.
Why California Will Cover The Spread/Win
Cal will be hugely motivated to beat its rival from Palo Alto. More than that, the Golden Bears will be intent on finishing what they started. They played a great first half at Missouri but fell apart in the second half. If Cal gets an early lead in this game, you should expect that on this particular occasion, it will hold up.
Final Stanford-California Prediction & Pick
We are leaning to Cal but think you should just study these teams and gather information for a bet later in the season.
Final Stanford-California Prediction & Pick: California -2.5
