California Golden Bears vs Utah Utes Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/05/2021

Game Time: 5:00 pm ET, Sunday, December 5, 2021

Venue:  Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, UT

Where to Watch:  Pac-12 Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  California +8, Utah -8; Over/Under:  132 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  California +8, Utah -8; Over/Under:  132 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  California +8.5, Utah -8.5; Over/Under:  132.5 points

 

California Golden Bears:  4-4 (4th place, Pac-12)

Utah Utes:  5-2 (9th place, Pac-12)

 

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California Golden Bears:  3-2 last 5

Utah Utes:  3-2 last 5

 

 

 

California is coming into this game with a 4-4 record overall and they are 0-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 2nd conference matchup of the year and they are currently 1-0 in their conference games this season. Their last loss came against the Seton Hall Pirates but they have gone on a 2 game winning streak since then with wins coming against the Fresno State Bulldogs and the Oregon State Beavers in their last game. Jordan Shepherd led the team in points in that game with 25 while Andre Kelly was next on the team with 20 points. Grant Anticevich also scored 12 points in that one as well. Anticevich and Joel Brown both led the team in assists in that game with 3 each while Kelly led the team in rebounds with 13. They were 50% from the field, 29.4% from 3-point range, and 84.2% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 65.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 66.6 PPG against them. California has an ATS record of 6-2 this season and their O/U record is 6-2.

 

 

Utah is coming into this game with a 5-2 record overall and they are 3-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 2nd conference matchup on their schedule this year and they are currently 0-1 in their conference games this season. Their last win was against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane but they have gone on a 2 game losing streak since then with losses coming against the BYU Cougars and the USC Trojans in their last game. Both Gach led the team in points in that game with 28 while David Jenkins Jr. was next on the team with 21 points. Riley Battin also scored 10 points in that one as well. Rollie Worster led the team in assists in that game with 4 while Lahat Thioune led the team in rebounds off the bench with 11. They were 37.7% from the field, 37% from 3-point range, and 78.6% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 74.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 64.9 PPG against them. Utah has an ATS record of 3-3-1 this season and their O/U record is 4-3.

 

Utah is coming into this game as an 8 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Utah has been having a better season than California has been yet they still find themselves behind Cal and down a game in their conference play already. They will be looking to get that conference game back here and they have had a much tougher schedule so far than Cal has had. Cal got their conference win against Oregon State in their last game who has just 1 win this season. Cal is going to get smacked in the face here against a team that is much better than what they have seen so far. The best bet to place in this game is on Utah to cover the spread here. 

 

California Utah Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Sunday, December 5, 2021 (5:00 pm ET start time) is Utah 78 California 64.

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California Golden Bears: 24-13 O/U after 2 straight games with 12 or less assists. 41-25 O/U in all games. 27-17 O/U against conference opponents. 27-13 O/U when playing only their 2nd game in a week. 14-5 O/U after a game where they made 78% of their free throws or better. 30-15 O/U after 2 straight games giving up 9 or less offensive rebounds. 17-3 O/U off a home win. 26-8 O/U after playing a home game.

Utah Utes: 56-30 ATS as a home favorite of 6.5 to 12 points. 40-22 ATS after a game committing 8 or less turnovers. 22-9 O/U after 2 straight games with 9 or less offensive rebounds. 6-1 O/U after 2 straight games where opponent was called for 15 or less fouls. 17-8 O/U after failing to cover 2 of their last 3 against the spread.

 

 

California Golden Bears:  M. Bowser (F) Out indefinitely - Ankle injury. D. Thorpe (F) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed injury.

Utah Utes:  B. Carlson (C) Ques Sun - Ankle injury. G. Madsen (G) Out indefinitely - Illness. M. Anthony (G) Ques Sun - Ankle injury. D. Mahorcic (F) Mid Jan - Leg injury. B. Holt (F) out for season - Knee injury.

 

 

“For us, we have to continue to be really sound and stable on the defensive end. As we grow offensively and get more depth I think can build there.” - Mark Fox on his team to start the season.

 

 

“We went from what I thought was going to be a really deep team to having (a rash of injuries). It is a good thing we have some depth. We have 11 (healthy) guys in the program.” - Craig Smith on the injuries to his team recently.

 

 

 

G. Anticevich 

J. Brown 

A. Kelly 

K. Kuany 

J. Shepherd

 

M. Anthony 

R. Battin 

B. Carlson 

D. Jenkins Jr. 

R. Worster

 

 

PPG: A. Kelly (16.6)

APG: J. Brown (2.9)

Reb/G: A. Kelly (9.5)

 

PPG: D. Jenkins Jr. (14.7)

APG: R. Worster (4.1)

Reb/G: M. Anthony (8.8)

 

Coaches:

California Golden Bears: Mark Fox (3rd season)

Utah Utes: Craig Smith (1st season)