College basketball picks: Stanford-Cal prediction, odds, spread for January 5

The Stanford Cardinal will hit the road for a matchup with the California Golden Bears on Friday night from Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, California. The game will get started at 9:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPNU.

Let's take a look at the odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook and make some picks.

Stanford vs. Cal odds

Spread: Stanford -9
Over/Under: 123
Moneyline: Stanford -410, Cal +330

Stanford (5-9, 0-4 Pac-12) will look to avoid losing its first five conference games in this matchup, and the Cardinal lost their final two games of 2022 against the Colorado Buffaloes and Utah Utes. Spencer Jones is the only player on the roster averaging double-digit points with 12.3 points per game this season.

Cal (2-13, 1-3 Pac-12) is coming off its first conference win by knocking off Colorado 80-76 behind 21 points from Joel Brown on New Year's eve. The Golden Bears have been one of the worst power conference programs in the country, and they could be without leading scorer Devin Askew, who missed the win over the Buffaloes with an undisclosed injury.

The Pick: Under 123

Don't sweat the low total because these are two bad offenses playing at a style of play that is great for the under. California is barely inside the top 300 in KenPom's adjusted efficiency and Bears play at a pace slower than nearly every team in the country. The biggest strengths for both teams come defensively, and this total is still too high.

  
Read Full Article