As the opening week of college basketball rolls on, the Houston Cougars will face the California Golden Bears on Sunday, in a neutral-site game played in Lake Tahoe. Both teams have won their opening games as they head into this one. Houston, of course, is picked near the top of the Big 12, while Cal would be exceeding expectations if they crack the top half of the ACC. Still, this matchup might not be the blowout that some might expect at face value. The Golden Bears could be a touch better than expected. I am taking Cal at +19.5.
Houston lost four starters, including three to the NBA. Kelvin Sampson reloaded, as top-tier programs tend to do, and that started with LSU point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. He is likely to be this team’s leading scorer, but as always, the Cougars will be defined by their defense. My skepticism here is that I am not convinced Houston has as much talent as in recent years, or that they are all fully up to expectations just yet, which opens the door for the Bears. Cal has some talent and some depth, but they really lack reliable scorers. They will need some guys to emerge. I do think there is some talent here though, and while I wouldn’t be sniffing around for any upsets here, it is not impossible that they keep this game closer than 20 points. I’ll take the points with the underdogs.
Houston vs California prediction: Cal +19.5 (-110) available at the time of publishing. Playable to +17.5.
