Stanford vs. Colorado Picks and Prediction for Saturday, December 20, 2025

Stanford Cardinal (9-2) vs. Colorado Buffaloes (10-1) 

The college hoops betting action continues Saturday, December 20, 2025, with the Stanford Cardinal taking on the Colorado Buffaloes in the Hall of Fame Series at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, AZ, and we’ve got you covered with our Stanford vs. Colorado prediction.

The former Pac-12 Conference foes lock horns for the first time since March 3, 2024, when Colorado beat Stanford 81-71 as a 12-point home favorite. The Buffaloes are now looking for their eighth straight victory over the Cardinal.

Read more about this Stanford vs. Colorado prediction, and check out all our NCAAB picks for Saturday’s card. The Buffaloes open as 2.5-point favorites with a total of 158.5 points at the neutral site, and the tip-off is set at 8:00 PM ET.

Stanford eyes its third straight win                                                            

The Stanford Cardinal (9-2; 6-5 ATS; 5-6 O/U) are coming off Wednesday’s 76-60 home victory over UT Arlington. It was their second win in a row, as the Cardinal outlasted San Jose State 86-82 on the road this past Saturday.

Stanford outrebounded UT Arlington 32-23 while shooting 47.9% from the field (5-for-16 from deep). The Cardinal went 25-for-32 from the foul line, and senior forward Chisom Okpara and senior guard Benny Gealer led the way with 17 points each.

Okpara tallies 15.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, while freshman guard Ebuka Okorie averages 21.0 points, 3.9 boards, and 3.1 assists. Okorie missed two straight games with a lower-body injury. According to the Cardinal head coach Kyle Smith, Okorie will return after Christmas.

Stanford scores 113.9 points per 100 possessions (80th in the country) and yields 103.2 points in return (85th). The Cardinal rank ninth in the nation in defensive rebound percentage (75.8%) and 53rd in offensive rebound percentage (36.0%).

Colorado has won two straight games too                                               

The Colorado Buffaloes (10-1; 6-5 ATS; 7-4 O/U) put an end to their eight-game winning streak on December 6, suffering a 91-86 defeat at Colorado State. Since then, the Buffaloes have beaten UTSA 88-64 and Portland State 84-73 in front of the home fans.

Last Wednesday, the Buffaloes failed to cover a 16-point spread. They led Portland State for most of the game, but it wasn’t an easy win by any means. Colorado shot 48.3% from the field (6-for-20 from downtown), and freshman guard Isaiah Johnson led the way with 20 points and three assists.

Johnson averages 15.2 points and 2.2 assists while shooting 44.1% from beyond the arc. Sophomore forward Sebastian Rancik tallies 13.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and junior guard Barrington Hargress adds 12.7 points and 4.8 assists a night.

Colorado scores 118.9 points per 100 possessions (35th in the country) and allows 107.7 points in return (169th). The Buffaloes make 39.7% of their shots from deep (15th) and turn the ball over on just 13.7% of their possessions (16th).

Stanford vs. Colorado Pick 

Spread Pick for Stanford vs. Colorado            

• Colorado -2.5 (5 units) 

I like Colorado in this spot. Stanford misses its leading scorer, and the Buffaloes have enough weapons to contain the Cardinal on the glass. Colorado is 52nd in the country in defensive rebound percentage (73.0%) and 92nd in offensive rebound percentage (34.3%).

Stanford is 30th in defensive turnover percentage (20.9%), but Colorado takes great care of the ball. The Buffaloes look like a better offensive team than the Okorie-less Cardinal, though Colorado is not a great defensive team by any stretch of the imagination.

Colorado is 6-3 ATS in its last nine games overall and 14-4-1 ATS in its previous 19 meetings with Stanford.

Over/Under Pick for Stanford vs. Colorado               

• Over 158.5 (5 units) 

The Buffaloes heavily lean on their prolific offense. They love to attack the rim and get to the free-throw line. The Buffaloes don’t rely on 3-pointers a lot, but their 3-point percentage is excellent.

On the other side, the Cardinal dearly miss their leading scorer, but they still have enough weapons to hurt the Buffaloes’ defense. Stanford makes 35.1% of its shots from deep (112th) and ranks 53rd in free-throw rate (.422).

Both teams prefer to play at a fast pace, so I will take the over. Stanford records 71.3 possessions per 40 minutes (69th), and Colorado tallies 70.3 possessions per 40 minutes (119th).