Seattle vs Cal Baptist Picks and Odds (Jan. 17)

• Seattle is a 1.5-point favorite over Cal Baptist on Monday (Jan. 17th) at 10 pm ET in WAC play
• The Redhawks are a perfect 3-0 in conference games so far
• Read below for odds, analysis and a betting prediction

There’s just one college hoops game on Monday’s slate that tips after 9 pm ET, and that will come from California. Seattle University visits Cal Baptist at 10 pm ET, in what oddsmakers project as a very tight affair.

Seattle vs Cal Baptist Odds

Odds as of Jan 16th at FanDuel.

The Redhawks opened up as a 1.5-point favorite, in a contest that features a total of 146.5. The CBU Events Center will play host to the matchup, with ESPN+ providing the broadcast coverage.

Seattle Redhawks Betting Analysis

The Redhawks (12-4, 3-0 WAC) enter this game red-hot. They’ve won four straight overall, including each of their first three WAC contests.

Time to roll thosehighlights from today’s WAC win 📽 pic.twitter.com/LkVrbdlM2q

— Seattle U Men's Basketball (@seattleumbb) January 16, 2022

Last time out, they handed Dixie State a 79-68 defeat, led by the 25 points of Cameron Tyson. Seattle’s leading scorer has now put up 25 points in back-to-back games, and has eclipsed the 20-point mark in three of his past four outings.

All five starters reached double-figures for the Redhawks, while the team shot 41.8% from the field, and 30% from three. Seattle won the rebounding and assist battle, and were a near perfect 14-of-15 from the free throw line.

7️⃣ 3s for Tyson and the Redhawks roll to 3-0 in the WAC#TogetherWeSoar pic.twitter.com/XBpRezw3Nz

— Seattle U Men's Basketball (@seattleumbb) January 15, 2022

Defensively, they allowed the Trailblazers to knock down 45.3% of their looks, but made up for it by forcing 19 turnovers.

The Redhawks are 48th in the nation at forcing turnovers, and are limiting opponents to 67.7 points per game. At the other end of the floor, they average 74.7 points per night, which ranks 70th in the county.

It should be noted that they’ve played the third easiest schedule in college basketball per KenPom, facing just one opponent ranked inside the top-120. However, they’ve beaten up on the teams they’re supposed to, posting a 9-0 record against opponents ranked outside the top-200. They’ll face another one of those programs on Monday, as Cal Baptist ranks 229th.

Cal Baptist Lancers Betting Analysis

The Lancers (11-5, 1-2 WAC) have dropped two of their three conference outings, but did get their first WAC victory last time out over Utah Valley 75-73.

❗️ LANCERS WIN ❗️

CBU knocks off Utah Valley for a HUGE @WACsports win! The Lancers lock up their 11th home victory of the season. #LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/5ItQPSdetg

— California Baptist Men's Basketball (@CBUmbb) January 16, 2022

Tre Armstrong led the way with a career-high 28 points, while Ty Rowell chipped in 16. Cal Baptist shot 44.9% from the field, and a blistering 53.3% from beyond the arc. Their shooting efficiency helped cover up some sloppy play, as they lost the rebounding, assist, and turnover battles.

A career-high 28 points leads Tre Armstrong to Player of the Game honors 👏👏👏#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/0dvGVqpNJg

— California Baptist Men's Basketball (@CBUmbb) January 16, 2022

Defensively, they held their opponent to 45.6% from the field, and 33.3% from three which is slightly worse than their season averages. The Lancers allow 68.8 points per game per night, but have coughed up at least 70 points to five of their past eight opponents.

Offensively, they’re averaging 70.4 points per contest, while ranking 16th in assists, and posting a 52.1% effective field goal percentage. Despite those numbers, they rank 202nd in adjusted offensive efficiency per KenPom, which gives you an idea of how soft their opposition has been.

Through 16 games, they’ve faced the easiest schedule in all of college hoops. Seven of their 16 opponents have been ranked 296th or worse, yet they’ve won only five of those matchups.

Seattle vs Cal Baptist Pick

The Lancers have faced four teams this season ranked inside the top-175, like Seattle does, and have come away without a victory. They’re 6-7 against the spread overall, and 4-4 ATS as a home favorite.

On the other hand, not only is Seattle 9-0 versus teams ranked outside the top-200, they’re 7-2 in those contests against the spread.

They grade out higher than Cal Baptist in offensive, defensive, and overall efficiency, and in my opinion should be favored in this matchup.

Pick: Seattle Redhawks -1.5 (-120)