Utah vs. California Prediction, Odds, Line, Pick, and Preview: December 29

The California Golden Bears (1-12) will host the Utah Utes (9-4) on Thursday night as Pac-12 play starts to ramp up.

Utah began December with a bang, beating powerhouse Arizona, followed by a win at Washington State and dominant home wins against Jacksonville State and UTSA. However, they have lost two straight, albeit challenging, games to BYU and TCU.

2021-22 All-Pac-12 center Branden Carlson leads the team in scoring for the second straight season, while former Cincinnati Bearcat Gabe Madsen and MWC All-Defensive Honoree (USU) Marco Anthony also average double-digit points. Pac-12 All-Freshman Lazar Stefanovic and junior Rollie Worster also play a significant part in the Utes' success.

Utah vs. California Betting Odds

Team	Spread	Over/Under	Moneyline
Utah Utes	-10	0128.5	-540
California Golden Bears	-10	u128.5	+420

All Lines Provided by DraftKings Sportsbook

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California is fresh off their first win of the season, 73-51, over UT Arlington. Leading scorer and Texas transfer Devin Askew missed the contest, but senior Lars Thiemann, four-year starter Joel Brown, and forward Kuany Kuany led the Golden Bears to victory.

Askew should be considered questionable with a foot injury for Thursday's matchup against Utah. He has one of the highest usage rates in the country, but shoots just 39% from the field, and Cal remains winless with him on the court.

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 Utah Utes own a 1.08 AdjOFF SQ this season, good for 56th in the nation. California has the 116th-best AdjDEF SQ at 0.98. Utah does well in all key stats, but open three rate and rim and three rate, where they are in the bottom 150. Conversely, the Bears are 61st in open three rate and 170th in rim and three rate.

The Utes own high-frequency numbers in cut, finishing at the rim, half-court, off-screen, and P&R shot types. They are in the top 60 at finishing at the rim, half-court, and P&R shots while only struggling in off-screen shots. Conversely, the Golden Bears are in the top 60 in defending all those categories except in midrange, where they are 246th with a 0.78 SQ PPP and 290th in off-screen with a 1.03 SQ PPP.

The California Golden Bears have a 0.97 AdjOFF SQ, the 250th-best mark in the country. Utah has posted a 1.01 AdjDEF SQ this season, clocking in at 170th in the country. The Golden Bears are in the top 100 in shot-making and free-throw rate while being poor in every other key statistic. The Utes are in the 10th percentile in defensive shot-making and 91st in free throw rate.

Cal is in the country's top half in frequency regarding the following shot types: cut, finishing at the rim, half-court, isolation, midrange, P&R ball screen, and post-up. Utah is in the top 50 in defending cut, finishing at the rim, and half-court shot types but is 200th against isolation shots.

Utah vs. California Prediction

Both teams will have an edge on the defensive end of the court, providing ample opportunity for long stretches of offensive ineptitude by both teams.

Cal has already proven to be a disaster on offense, and the Utes match up well with their defensive tendencies and size. As a result, the under on the total should be in play late into this contest, with a good chance of hitting if neither team has a solid first half.