Colorado vs. Stanford Prediction, Odds, Line, Pick, and Preview: December 29

The Colorado Buffaloes (8-5) will head west to take on the Stanford Cardinal (5-7) on Thursday night. Colorado is on a mini-winning streak, rattling off four in a row and most recently taking care of Southern Utah, 86-78. Junior forward Tristan da Silva accounted for his first double-double of the season, while leading scorer and former top prospect KJ Simpson had a team-high 21 points and four assists in the win. Junior Nique Clifford and guard Julian Hammond also scored in double-figures.

Colorado vs. Stanford Betting Odds

Team	Spread	Over/Under	Moneyline
Colorado Buffaloes	+2	0138.5	+120
Stanford Cardinals	-2	u138.5	-130

All Lines Provided by DraftKings Sportsbook

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Stanford avenged their most recent loss to Texas with a 75-62 drumming of Loyola Chicago last Thursday. Four Cardinal players scored in double-digits, highlighted by 2021 top prospect Harrison Ingram and his 15 points. Senior James Keefe filled the stat sheet in the win, finishing with 14 points, eight rebounds, one assist, and three steals. Despite a 5-7 record, they have played an extremely tough schedule in the early going. They have lost to Wisconsin, San Diego State, Ole Miss, Memphis, UCLA, Arizona State, and Texas.

ShotQuality Tale of the Tape

Below, we will highlight essential ShotQuality data for this matchup, including Adjusted Offensive and Defensive SQ, strengths, weaknesses, and frequency. SQppp is a player's average ShotQuality points per possession.

Thus, SQppp = Total SQpoints/Total No. of Possessions.

The Colorado Buffaloes own a 1.07 AdjOFF SQ this season, good for 58th in the nation. Stanford has the 22nd-best AdjDEF SQ at 0.91. Colorado does well to average in all key stats, except the open three rate, where they rank 301st in the country. Conversely, the Cardinal also do well to moderate in all key defensive stats, including 188th in the defensive open three rate.

The Buffaloes own high-frequency numbers in cut, finishing at the rim, isolation, off-screen, and transition shot types. They are in the top 160 in all those shot types except in cut, with a 1.05 SQ PPP (271st in the country). Conversely, the Cardinal are in the top 50 in defending cut and isolation shot types but 324th in stopping transition buckets (1.43 SQ PPP).

The Stanford Cardinal have a 1.05 AdjOFF SQ, the 105th-best mark in the country. Colorado has posted a 0.92 AdjDEF SQ this season, clocking in at 30th in the country. The Cardinal rank between 115-159 in all key stats, with the exception of 220th in spacing and 257th in open three rate. The Buffaloes are 13th in defensive open three rate and in the 32nd percentile in defensive spacing.

Stanford is in the country's top half in frequency regarding the following shot types: catch & shoot three-pointer, finishing at the rim, half-court, and off-screen. Colorado is in the top 10 in defending on the half-court and shots at the rim.

Colorado vs. Stanford Prediction

The Buffaloes and Cardinal should have an edge on defense. Stanford is better than their record displays, while the Buffaloes are starting to figure it out as December closes. Grab the under and expect both teams to lock into a defensive battle in the Pac-12 nightcap.