Colorado vs Stanford Picks and Odds
- Colorado will attempt to sweep the season series against Stanford when the two meet in a Pac-12 game at Stanford, Calif., at 7 ET Thursday
- The game features Pac-12 player of the year candidates in Stanford’s Oscar da Silva and Colorado’s McKinley Wright IV
- Check the odds, analysis and betting predictions below
The Colorado Buffaloes will attempt to sweep the season series against Stanford when the two meet Thursday at 7pm ET.
Colorado (15-5, 9-4 Pac-12) beat Stanford (12-7. 8-5) when the two met in Boulder on Jan. 16. The Buffaloes have won 11 of the last 13 games in the series.
Colorado vs Stanford Picks and Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Buffaloes | N/A | -1.5 (-110) | Ov 139.5 (-105) |
| Stanford Cardinal | N/A | +1.5 (-110) | Un 139.5 (-115) |
Odds from FanDuel on Jan. 10
Colorado is playing the third in a stretch of four games in eight days due to two previous Pac-12 postponements due to COVID-19 issues in the Arizona State and Oregon State programs.
Pac-12 POY Showdown
Stanford’s bruising 6-foot-9 senior Oscar da Silva leads the Pac-12 in scoring (19.4 points a game) and is fifth with 7.2 rebounds a game. He is the only player in NCAA Division I averaging at least 19 points, seven rebounds and two assists per game while shooting at least 55% from the field,
Iowa’s Luka Garza and Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert are the only three averaging 19 points and shooting 56% or better from the field.
Senior McKinley Wright, who controls Colorado’s offense, is averaging 14.5 points per game and is second in the conference with 5.7 assists per game. His turnover-to-assist ratio is 2.76:1, fourth in the league.
Wright is 11 rebounds short of becoming the first player in league history with 1,600 points, 600 rebounds and 600 assists. Andrew Miller reached those levels at Utah before the Utes entered the Pac-12 in 2011.
With the game well in hand, Wright had six points in the 78-49 victory over Oregon State on Monday while playing only 25 minutes. It’s part of the strategy to give starters some rest during a scheduled that includes five games in 11 days. Stanford is the fourth game in that stretch.
Stanford Keeps Rolling
Stanford has won four of its last six games and kept its head above water while playing through long absences of three of its top five scorers, starting guards Daejon Davis and Bryce Wills and freshman forward Ziaire Williams.
Davis, a four-year starter averaging 13.1 points per game, has missed 11 of the last 13 games with an undisclosed injury. Wills missed nine games before returning in a 76-70 victory over California last Sunday. Williams, projected as an NBA first-round draft pick, has missed the last six for personal reasons.
The emergence of 6-foot-9 junior Jaiden Delaire and freshman point guard Michael O’Connell has softened the blow. Delaire is averaging 14.4 points and 4.7 rebounds in league games, doubling his scoring average from last season. O’Connell had 26 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in a split of a road series at the Arizona schools two weeks ago.
By The Numbers
Colorado has won eight of its last 10, covering six, all as a favorite. The Buffaloes are 12-8 ATS. They are 3-3 SU and ATS on the road in the Pac-12. They broke a three-game spread losing streak with a decisive 78-49 victory over Oregon State on Monday.
Stanford is 3-5 against the spread in its last eight and is 5-1 straight up at home in the Pac-12, 4-2 against the number. The Cardinal are 3-4-1 as an underdog, including a season-opening 82-64 victory over Alabama when it was at full strength.
Colorado has won 11 of the last 13 games in the series, although Stanford has won the last two at home. This will be Stanford’s third true home game of the season, after Santa Clara County placed restrictions on sports activities because of the coronavirus. The Cardinal played their previous home games in Santa Cruz, Calf.
Stanford shot 36.7% from the field in its 77-64 loss at Colorado. The Buffaloes are No. 15 in the NCAA Net rankings, the highest rated team in the Pac-12. USC is 16th. Stanford is 58th.
Colorado leads NCAA Division I with an 83% mark from the free throw line and is on pace to break Harvard’s NCAA record.
Stanford ranks No. 18 in Division I in defensive efficiency according to KenPom, and it is second in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage defense at 40.1%.
Brothers da Silva Meet Again
Colorado unleashed a new weapon against undermanned Oregon State when 6-foot-8 freshman forward Tristan da Silva had a career-high 15 points and four rebounds. The Buffaloes played without injured freshman forward Jabari Walker and used other starters sparingly because of their heavy workload.
Junior center Evan Battey suffered a left ankle injury in a victory over Arizona last Saturday and played only 11 minutes against Oregon State. Walker will not play against Stanford but Battey is expected to resume his regular role. His presence would be useful against a Stanford frontline that has out-rebounded opponents by 2.3 rebounds per game.
Oscar had 22 points and 12 rebounds in the first meeting this season, when Tristan had five points in six minutes.
The pick: Colorado – 1.5 (-110)
Jack has covered college and professional sports for various Arizona media outlets since the 1980s and has written for the Associated Press, USA Today and Baseball America, among others. He staffed the 2015-17 World Series and has staffed four Super Bowls.
