Saint Joseph's Hawks vs California Golden Bears Prediction, 3/22/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Saint Joseph's Hawks vs California Golden Bears

Date: Sunday, March 22, 2026

Location: Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, CA

TV: ESPNU

Odds/Point Spread: California (-5)

Haas Pavilion is the location where the California Golden Bears (22-11) will attempt to defeat the Saint Joseph's Hawks (23-11) on Sunday in the round 2 of the NIT. California opens as 5-point favorites. The betting total is set at 149.

The Saint Joseph's Hawks played Colorado State and earned the victory with a final of 69-64 in their last contest. When discussing personal fouls, the Hawks left the arena with 16 and Colorado State finished the game with 17 personal fouls. They made 7 of their 30 attempts from 3-point range. Colorado State finished the contest at 75.0% at the charity stripe by knocking down 15 of their 20 shots. On top of that, Colorado State grabbed 33 boards (9 offensive, 24 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Colorado State distributed 12 dimes and had 6 steals for the contest. In terms of defense, Saint Joseph's allowed 36.2% from the field on 21 of 58 shooting. They also dished out 10 assists for the contest as well as forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and earning 8 steals. When it comes to rebounding, they collected 37 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Hawks converted 16 of their 20 attempts for a percentage of 80.0%. Saint Joseph's walked away from the game having earned a 39.7% FG percentage (23 of 58) and made 7 of 23 3-point attempts.

Austin Williford is a player who was a major contributor in the matchup. He finished the game at 44.4% from the floor and also earned 3 assists. He was on the court for 34 mins and also pulled down 6 boards. He finished with 13 points on 4 of 9 shooting.

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Saint Joseph's enters this one with a mark of 23-11 this year. They are losing possession via turnover 11.8 times per game and as a team are committing 14.0 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Saint Joseph's is grabbing 38.9 rebounds per game and has totaled 526 assists for the season, which has them ranked 75th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Hawks are connecting on 30.8% on 3-pointers (280 of 908) and 74.5% from the free throw line. They are averaging 73.2 pts per game (250th in college) while going 42.9% from the field.

On the defensive end, the Hawks have forced 10.3 turnovers every game while drawing 15.2 personal fouls. They give up 31.4% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 66th in D-1 in PPG from their opponents (69.7). The Hawks defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 40.6% (861 of 2,123) and they surrender 35.9 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are currently ranked 216th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 448 conceded for the year.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the California Golden Bears went home victorious with a score of 91-73 against UIC. The Golden Bears were able to collect 20 defensive boards and 4 offensive boards for a total of 24 in this game. They gave up possession 15 times, while recording 10 steals in this matchup. UIC committed 14 fouls in the game which got the Golden Bears to the free throw line for a total of 12 attempts. They were able to convert 12 of them for a percentage of 100.0%. In the matter of shots from distance, California made 15 out of 28 tries (53.6%). Overall, the Golden Bears finished 32 out of 57 from the floor which gave them a rate of 56.1%. The Golden Bears permitted UIC to convert 29 of their 57 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 50.9% for the contest. They wrapped up this game 26.7% from 3-point land by shooting 4 out of 15 and finished the contest at 11 of 16 from the free throw line (68.8%). In relation to rebounding, California permitted UIC to snag 24 in all (7 offensive).

Chris Bell pitched in for the Golden Bears for the matchup. He knocked down 10 out of 12 for the matchup giving him a rate of 83.3%, and had 3 rebounds. He earned 31 points in his 30 minutes of playing time and had 1 assist for the matchup.

California has a win-loss record of 22-11 on the season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Golden Bears are connecting on 44.7% from the floor, which ranks 206th in college. California has totaled 2,583 pts so far this year (78.3 per contest) and they pull down 34.5 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.9 times per game (176th in the nation) and they are losing possession via turnover 10.5 times per contest. The Golden Bears are committing 18.7 fouls per game while shooting 78.3% from the charity stripe.

The Golden Bears on defense are ranked 160th in college in PPG given up with 73.2. They are forcing their opponents into 11.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 43.6% from the field (142nd in college hoops). The California defense gives up 31.2% on 3-pointers (249 of 799) and opponents are knocking down 66.0% of their free throw shots. They surrender 14.5 assists and 36.3 boards every game, which has them ranked 266th and 298th in college hoops.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take California (-5)

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