Oregon State vs California Odds, Lines and Spread
- California has lost nine of 10 as it prepares to play host to Oregon State Thursday
- Oregon State, which has lost six of its last nine games, looks to win all three games against the Bears this season
- Check the odds, analysis and betting predictions below
California (8-17, 3-15) will try to beat Oregon State for the first time in three tries this season when it plays host to the Beavers in Pac-12 play at 10pm ET on Thursday. One of the previous two meetings did not count in the league standings.
Oregon State (11-11, 7-9) has lost four of its last five games, although it has beaten Pac-12 title contenders USC and Oregon this season, one of two league teams to do so. Colorado is the other.
Oregon State vs California
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon State Beavers | -118 | -1 (-110) | Ov 131 (-110) |
| California Bears | +100 | +1 (-110) | Un 131 (-110) |
Odds from Fan Duel on Deb. 24.
The Golden Bears return home after a dismal road trip in which they were swept at Washington State and Washington and scored only 51 points in each game. The Bears’ 82-51 loss to Wazzu was their largest margin of defeat this season.
Oregon State has lost 16 of its last 17 games at California and also has lost all three neutral-site meetings at the Pac-12 tournament in that span.
Matt Bradley, Cal’s Bright Spot
Bradley, a 6-foot-4 junior, has been a reliable force in an otherwise tough season for the Golden Bears, who must win at least one of their last two regular-season games to avoid a last-place finish.
Bradley is averaging 18.6 points and 4.6 rebounds a game, and he has played through injuries to both ankles that cost him seven games and kept him out of the starting lineup for two others. His scoring average would be third in the league if he had enough games to qualify.
Despite missing that much time, Bradley is second in the Pac-12 with 10 double-doubles. He had a career-high 29 points in the Golden Bears’ signature victory this season, a 71-62 victory over Colorado in their last home game Feb. 13. It was their only Quad 1 win of the season.
Bradley had 13 points in the 62-51 loss at Washington on Saturday, when he was 3-of-16 from the field while playing with the stomach flu. He twice asked out of the game to get sick in a trash can near the bench.
Beavers and The Spread
Oregon State has been a point-spread darling since beating Arizona State 80-79 at home on Jan. 16 as a six-point underdog.
The Beavers are 6-6 straight up but 9-2-1 ATS since that game. Victories over USC and Oregon are the only notable straight up wins in that stretch, but the Beavers also have covered in road losses to Arizona and UCLA and a home loss to Colorado.
Oregon State is 13-8-1 ATS this season but have lost their only game as a road favorite at Washington on Dec. 2.
Third Time the Charm
Oregon State has 71-63 and 73-64 victories in the first two games between the two this season. The first on Nov. 25 was played after Colorado State pulled out of its scheduled game against Cal as part of a two-game event in Corvallis and Oregon State stepped in.
Cal held a 12-point lead in the second game in Corvallis but played the second half without Matt Bradley, who suffered an ankle injury in the first half and did not return. The Bears shot 51.2% from the field in that game but made only 14-of-28 free throw attempts.
Oregon State forward Warith Alastishe had 16 points in the first meeting. Teammates Ethan Thompson had 15 points in each game and Jarod Lucas had 11 in each. Bradley had 21 points in the first and an injury-limited five in the second.
Lucas leads the Pac-12 and is fifth in Division I with a 91.8% mark from the free throw line. He has gone 67-of-73.
By the numbers
Oregon State has won four of the last five in the series, all four wins coming in Corvallis, but is 1-18 against Cal on the road in the last 20 years.
The Bears have won the last nine meetings at home, and the Beavers have not won in Berkeley since Jan. 22, 2009, a 69-65 victory two days after then-coach Craig Robinson attended the inauguration of Pres. Barack Obama, who is married to Robinson’s sister Michelle.
Oregon State is the better team by most statistical measures, but the Beavers’ recent history in Berkeley makes it tough to go with them in a battle of near-equals. Beating a team three times in one season is no easy feat, and if Bradley is healthy for this one the Golden Bears are the play on senior weekend.
The pick: Cal +1 (-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.
