Julian Edlow provides his preview, prediction, and pick for Saturday’s college basketball game between Cal and Stanford.
Cal vs. Stanford College Basketball prediction, preview
Cal and Stanford meet in a rivalry game on Saturday night at Stanford, and while the numbers say these teams are nearly identical, I disagree. If you look at KenPom, Cal is ranked 76th and Stanford is 77th. Offensively, Cal ranks 92nd and Stanford is 93rd. On defense, Cal is ranked 66th and Stanford sits at 71st.
That said, Stanford has shown another level this season that I don’t think Cal can get to. The Cardinal took some silly losses early in the season, but also have wins over Minnesota, Saint Louis, Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Louisville. Cal has shown some decent efforts at home, highlighted by wins over UCLA and UNC, but has not fared well on the road.
The Golden Bears are 0-3 on the road this season, losing by an average of 10 points per game. Stanford also has an elite scoring option that Cal does not. Ebuka Okorie has broken out as a freshman, averaging over 22 points per game, and stepping up when his team needs him most. Since settling into college basketball with the calendar flipping to January, Okorie has had games of 28 points in the win over Louisville, 31 points in a win at VT and 36 points in the most recent victory over the Tar Heels.
I like Stanford to have a great home court advantage on Saturday night and take care of business over a rival.
CBB Pick: Stanford -3.5 (-110)
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