California vs Colorado Odds, Lines, and Spread

• The California Golden Bears (6-7) play the Colorado Buffaloes (9-3) at 2pm ET on January 14
• This will be the first of two meetings between the two schools in 2021
• See the odds, spread, analysis, and best bet, below

The California Golden Bears will have their work cut out for them when they take on the Colorado Buffaloes on Thursday afternoon. The Golden Bears ended a three game losing streak by beating the Washington Huskies 84-78 last time out. Meanwhile, the Buffaloes put up another Pac-12 win by beating Utah 65-58 the last time they hit the hardwood.

Colorado has beaten California six straight times before losing the last meeting between the two schools, 76-62. The currents odds have the Buffaloes favored by 15 points in this matchup.

California vs Colorado Odds

Odds as of January 13th at FanDuel.

Cal Notches First Pac-12 Win of the Season

Conference play has not gone so well for the Cal Golden Bears but they finally got into the win column against Washington last time out. The Golden Bears have struggled mightily on offense this season, ranking 131 in offensive efficiency according to KenPom. Scoring was not an issue against Washington as three Cal players hit double digits.

3️⃣ Bears in double figures.
1️⃣ team win.

Andre, Ryan & Makale combined for 54 points today. pic.twitter.com/wBGWlXrLAW

— Cal Basketball (@CalMBBall) January 10, 2021

Cal started the game on fire, putting up just the third 40-point first half of the season and then finished just as hot, going for 44 in the second half. As a team they shoot 45.2% from the floor on the season but in this one they stepped it up a bit and connected on 55% of their attempts. Three different Golden Bears scored in double digits, paced by Andre Kelly’s 22 point effort.

Colorado Could Be a Tournament Team

Colorado may not be ranked in the AP Top 25 but they currently sit at number 18 in the KenPom rankings. They have the nation’s 19th-best team in terms of defensive efficiency according to KenPom, on top of being 25th in offensive efficiency. They are a do-it-all type team that will give anyone problems.

After starting the new year with a loss at UCLA they bounced back nicely to beat a then-ranked #17 Oregon side 79-72. They then went on the road and covered as 2.5 point favorites over a decent Utah team.

𝘉𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘜𝘵𝘢𝘩 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘱 🎥

Always a great day to get a road win pic.twitter.com/CB3JbF4kf9

— Colorado Men's Basketball (@CUBuffsMBB) January 12, 2021

The Utah game was not all rainbows and butterflies as the Buffaloes had to erase a double digit second half deficit. After allowing the Utes to score 37 points in the second half, they clamped down and held them to only 21 in the second half. D’Shawn Schwartz had a monster game for Colorado scoring 15 points and pulling down 15 rebounds in the winning effort.

Best Betting Angle

There is no doubt who the better team is in this matchup. The Buffaloes may be underrated in the polls but the books are not sleeping on them whatsoever, installing them as 15-point favorites in this game. They play both sides of the ball as well as almost any team in the country and their game film shows it.

It’s always tough to lay 15 points in a basketball game but it’s hard to imagine the Golden Bears being able to score more than 60-65 points in this game. The Buffaloes are the best defensive team the Golden Bears have seen all season. The most California had scored against at Pac-12 opponent before the Washington eruption was 69 against Oregon. The Buffaloes look to be similar to the UCLA team that held the Golden Bears to only 56 points. This game could get out of hand early which won’t be good news for Cal backers.

Pick: Colorado -15 (-110)