The California Golden Bears (5-4, 0-2 Pac-12) visit the No. 17 Oregon Ducks (6-1, 1-0) Thursday for a conference game at the Matthew Knight Arena at 10 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze the California-Oregon college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Oregon is No. 17 in the USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.
California at Oregon: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 5:24 p.m. ET.
- Money line: California +650 (bet $100 to win $650) | Oregon -1000 (bet $1,000 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: California +12.5 (-110) | Oregon -12.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 133.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
California at Oregon: Three things to know
- California is riding a three-game winning streaking, however, none of the wins were against tough opponents. The streak includes victories over San Francisco, Cal State Northridge and most recently, a 70-65 win over Seattle as a 6.5-point favorite Dec. 22. The Golden Bears did cover the spread in the first two wins of the streak.
- After dropping their opening game on a neutral floor against Missouri, the Ducks have notched six straight wins and have covered in four of those games. Oregon last played Dec. 19 when it waxed the West Coast Conference Portland Pilots 80-41 as a 24.5-point favorite.
- Oregon has won seven straight against California but has only covered in three of those wins.
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California at Oregon: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Oregon 68, California 63
Money line (ML)
PASS because while I anticipate Oregon (-1000) winning its conference home opener, I won’t lay more than 10 times my potential return for a straight-up win.
The Ducks had their scheduled Pac-12 conference home opener vs. UCLA postponed due to COVID-19 testing issues with the game officials, making this their conference home opener.
If anything, I lean California (+650) because I tend to sprinkle on an underdog’s money line if I am taking them plus the points.
Against the spread (ATS)
GIMME CALIFORNIA +12.5 (-110) for 1.5 units. According to Pregame.com, this is a Pros vs. Joes spot in the betting market with 58% of the money coming in on California but 69% of the total bets on Oregon. Typically, the sharp side is the money side and that’s the side we want to be on.
On the basketball side of things, while Oregon has a massive edge in rebounding that should be lessened with its 6-foot-11 C N’Faly Dante sidelined with a torn ACL. Also, Oregon G Will Richardson is still out with a thumb injury—he combined for 28 points in both California-Oregon games last season—and it no longer has its leading scorer from last year in Payton Pritchard, who’s now in the NBA.
Over/Under (O/U)
I’d TAKE UNDER 133.5 (-105) for a half-unit. Both teams play at a below-average pace and California is only 247th in points per game while the Oregon defense is 54th in opponent’s points per game. Furthermore, California should be able to defend an Oregon team which is only 253rd in free-throw per field-goal attempt rate and 235th in 3-point rate.
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