California (1-0) vs Cal Poly (0-1)
Game Info: Thursday, November 7, 2024 at 10:00 pm (Haas Pavilion)
The Line: Betting Odds: California -15.5 / Cal Poly +15.5 — Over/Under: 151
The Cal Poly Mustangs and the California Golden Bears meet Thursday in college basketball action from Haas Pavilion. Here’s a Cal Poly vs California prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Cal Poly vs California pick. We will examine:
The Cal Poly Mustangs’ recent form and player performance
The California Golden Bears’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Cal Poly Mustangs
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the California Golden Bears
Recent betting trends in games played between Cal Poly and California
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Cal Poly vs California game
Cal Poly Mustangs Betting Preview
The Mustangs posted a terrible campaign a season ago, going 4-28 overall with an abysmal 0-20 run in Big West play. Cal Poly landed in last place by seven games behind CSU Fullerton, and their last win was way back on December 21.
The Mustangs kicked off this season with another loss. On Tuesday versus San Francisco, Cal Poly was outscored 47-43 in the second half during an 86-78 result. Jarred Hyder logged 19 points to lead the team, and Owen Koonce added 18 points. Cal Poly will face Seattle, Eastern Washington, Arizona State, and Saint Mary’s following this one.
California Golden Bears Betting Preview
Over on the California side, they didn’t have the greatest season last year either, going 13-19 with a 9-11 Pac-12 result. The Golden Bears finished near the middle of the pack in the standings and would fall to Stanford in their first game of the conference tournament.
In their first game of the 2024-25 season versus CSU Bakersfield on Monday, the Bears jumped out to a 46-28 halftime edge. California cruised the rest of the way in an 86-73 win. Tops in scoring was Jovan Blacksher with 17 points, four rebounds, and four assists. California will take on Vanderbilt and USC after this game.
Why the California Golden Bears will win
- Cal Poly has lost each of its last 21 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- California has won each of its last four night games at Haas Pavilion against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- California has won the first half in 10 of its last 11 games against the Big West Conference at Haas Pavilion.
Why the Cal Poly Mustangs will win
- California has lost each of its last five games when playing with a rest advantage.
Cal Poly vs California Prediction
I’ll stay with California. The Bears went 31-of-40 (77.5 percent) from the line in their opening win over CSU Bakersfield, which was the key stat in the game. The Roadrunners helped out with 17 turnovers and shot 10-of-18 (55.6 percent) from the line themselves. This should be a similar matchup for Cal, and the Bears should be fine if they can shoot reasonably well.
As for Cal Poly, they didn’t shoot terribly (40.6 percent) in their loss to San Francisco. The Mustangs hit 14-of-15 (93.3 percent) from the line and had a 36-34 rebounding edge. That said, Cal Poly coughed up 19 turnovers, which didn’t help their chances. Thursday’s matchup isn’t going to get any easier.