Cal v. St. Thomas (Minnesota) College Basketball Betting Odds and Lines: Las Vegas Loves the Golden Bears

California's new men's basketball head coach, Mark Madsen, is expected to start his season with a bang

Grant Newell (right) was a key player last season as a first-year at California. (Courtesy Cal Athletics)

The California Golden Bears start the 2023-2024 men’s college basketball season with an interesting opponent: The St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies of the Summit League.

The Tommies are recent entrants to top-flight NCAA Division I basketball, having competed in Division III from 1973 to 2021. The Saint Paul, Minnesota school, won the NCAA Division III men’s basketball national championship in 2011 and 2016.

Fortunately for Mark Madsen, who makes his debut as the California Golden Bears’ men’s basketball team head coach Monday, Las Vegas expects the home team to roll to victory.

---

Cal v. St. Thomas (Minnesota) men’s college basketball betting odds: Who is favored to win?

The latest Cal v. St. Thomas (Minnesota) men’s college basketball betting odds range between California -9 and California -9.5 as of Sunday morning, according to Vegas Insider, which reports U.S. sportsbooks’ available betting lines and odds.

The California -9.5 line implies the California Golden Bears are about 10-point favorites against the St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies.

U.S. sportsbooks offer total score bets between 143 and 143.5 points as of Sunday morning, per Vegas Insider’s analysis.

Bettors can bet the “over” on the game if they believe the combined score of Cal v. St. Thomas (Minnesota) will be 144 points or more. In contrast, an “under” bet pays out if the game’s total score is 143 points or fewer.

The California -9.5 line and 143.5-point total imply California will win with a scoreline of about 77-67.

Wagers on the “moneyline” pay out based on the game’s result regardless of the winning team’s margin of victory. According to Vegas Insider, Cal v. St. Thomas (Minnesota) moneyline bets can be made at the following odds—California -500 and St. Thomas (Minnesota) +370—as of Sunday morning.

Bettors who believe the California Golden Bears will win can bet $500 to win $100 on a California -500 moneyline. A $100 moneyline bet on St. Thomas (Minnesota) will pay a profit of $370 if St. Thomas (Minnesota) wins.

Cal v. St. Thomas (Minnesota) men’s college basketball: What you should know

The Cal v. St. Thomas (Minnesota) contest, the first time either school has faced each other on the basketball court, will be the first of four straight home games for the Golden Bears.

California’s men’s basketball team features seven new scholarship players this season, including Fardaws Aimaq, Jalen Cone, Keonte Kennedy and Jaylon Tyson. Aimaq, Cone and Kennedy are graduate transfers who have played a combined 296 college games before setting foot at Haas Pavilion.

Devin Askew, California’s leading scorer with an average of 15.5 points per game in 13 games last year, is also returning. Sophomore forward Grant Newell, last year’s Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honorable mention, will also return for California this season.

The St. Thomas (Minnesota) roster features 10 veterans and four newbies. Senior forward Parker Bjorklund ranks second in scoring for St. Thomas (Minnesota) with 393 points and an average of 15.5 points per game. Bjorklund has led his team in scoring in nine of the last 20 games played.