Cal vs Washington State Odds, Pick for Thursday

In a very lean year for the Pac-12 conference, Washington State looks to be one of the league's better teams. The Cougars are on the cusp of snapping a lengthy tournament drought, but need to beat mediocre teams like the Cal Golden Bears.

California went from being a three-win team and the laughing stock of high-major hoops to a school selling out home games in just a year. That's the Mark Madsen effect in Berkeley. The Golden Bears have tripled their win total from a season ago and already have an overtime win over Washington State on their resume.

In that game, Jaylon Tyson took over and scored 30 points. Tyson popping off for lofty numbers is no surprise as he's averaging over 20 points and seven rebounds per game. Tyson is a true playmaker and Cal should remain competitive in most games if he's putting up big numbers.

The Bears offense is predicated on shooting the ball from deep as 41% of Cal's field goals come from 3. The only players connecting on more than 37% of their 3s are Tyson and Jalen Celestine, who's hitting a staggering 46% of his 3s. In general, teams don't score inside against the Cougars suffocating defense. That means Cal will need a strong attack from deep.

Jalen Cone is the team's third-leading scorer at 13.8 points per game and is the X-factor in this contest. He can hit four or more 3s at any time, but is just as capable of going 0-for-9 from from beyond the arc.

The Cougars won have eight of nine games, including key wins over Arizona and Utah.

On defense, Washington State ranks 27th (according to KenPom) and has one of the best 2-point field goal defenses in the country. The Cougars have also held opponents to 70 or fewer points in four of their past five games.

Four of the Cougars five starters are 6-foot-7 or taller, which is part of the reason why Washington State dominates on the interior. Rueben Chinyelu, Oscar Cluff and Isaac Jones play integral roles in Kyle Smith's defensive scheme.

Myles Rice is the only true guard on Washington State's roster and is also one of the conference's best. A redshirt freshman, Rice posts 15.5 points and 3.8 assists per contest. He isn't a big-time shooter, but is a bit better than his 31% mark suggests.

The Cougars don't shoot many perimeter jumpers, but Jaylen Wells does open up the offense. After transferring from the Division II level, Wells barely cracked the rotation early, but is now a mainstay in the lineup. He's a pure wing who shoots over 44% from 3.

Washington State isn't built to blow teams out. Instead, it wants a slow, 10-round fight. I'm expecting the Cougars to win, but when Cone and Tyson hit shots, Cal is very dangerous. The Bears will need Fardaws Aimaq to stay out of foul trouble and on the floor against Washington State's plethora of front-court weapons. If that happens, the Golden Bears should be able to keep this game close.

Pick: Cal +9.5 (Play to +8.5)