The North Carolina Tar Heels (11-6, 4-1 ACC) will attempt to extend a three-game win streak when they host the California Golden Bears (8-8, 1-4 ACC) on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at Dean E. Smith Center as big, 15.5-point favorites. The contest airs at 7:00 PM ET on ACC Network. The over/under in the matchup is 159.5.
North Carolina vs. Cal Odds
North Carolina vs. Cal Promo Codes
Game Time and Information
Who Will Win North Carolina vs. Cal?
North Carolina and Cal Betting Trends, Records Against the Spread
North Carolina has a 3-3 record against the spread when favored by 15.5 points or more this season.
These teams average 160.2 points per game combined, 0.7 more than the total of 159.5.
Opponents of the two teams average a combined 6.6 fewer points per game (152.9) than this game’s over/under of 159.5 points.
North Carolina’s average point total in outings this year is 160.6, 1.1 points higher than the total in this game.
The average point total for the Golden Bears this season is 7.0 points fewer than this game’s over/under.
The Tar Heels are 6-11-0 against the spread this season.
The Golden Bears’ ATS record is 9-7-0 this year.
North Carolina Stats & Insights
North Carolina outscores opponents by 5.8 points per game (scoring 83.2 per game to rank 29th in college basketball while giving up 77.4 per outing to rank 315th in college basketball) and has a +98 scoring differential overall.
North Carolina ranks 88th in the country at 34.5 rebounds per game. That’s similar to the 33.8 its opponents average.
The Tar Heels make 7.6 three-pointers per game (196th in college basketball), while their opponents have made 8.4 on average.
North Carolina averages 100.4 points per 100 possessions on offense (84th in college basketball), and gives up 93.4 points per 100 possessions (238th in college basketball).
The Tar Heels are averaging 88.0 points per game at home. In away games, they are averaging 76.6 points per contest.
Cal Stats & Insights
Cal is outscoring opponents by 1.5 points per game, with a +24 scoring differential overall. It puts up 77.0 points per game (135th in college basketball) and gives up 75.5 per outing (284th in college basketball).
Cal grabs 32.4 rebounds per game (203rd in college basketball) while allowing 29.0 per outing to opponents. It outrebounds opponents by 3.4 boards per game.
Cal knocks down 7.6 three-pointers per game (196th in college basketball), while its opponents have made 7.7 on average.
Cal ranks 117th in college basketball with 99.0 points scored per 100 possessions, and 314th defensively with 97.1 points conceded per 100 possessions.
The Golden Bears score 80.7 points per game at home, and 75.0 away.
North Carolina Key Players to Watch
The Tar Heels scoring leader is RJ Davis, who averages 17.8 per contest to go with 3.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
North Carolina’s leading rebounder is Jalen Washington averaging 5.2 boards per game and its best passer is Elliot Cadeau, averaging 6.1 assists per game.
Davis makes more threes per game than any other member of the Tar Heels, knocking down shots from beyond the arc at a clip of 2.0 per contest.
Seth Trimble and Washington lead North Carolina on the defensive end, with Trimble leading the team in steals averaging 1.6 per game and Washington in blocks averaging 1.2 per contest.
Cal Key Players to Watch
Andrej Stojakovic is the top scorer for the Golden Bears with 20.3 points per game. Stojakovic also adds 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
Cal’s leader in rebounds is Mady Sissoko with 6.9 per game, and its leader in assists is Jovan Blacksher Jr. with 2.9 per game.
Blacksher is the top shooter from distance for the Golden Bears, hitting 2.1 threes per game.
Rytis Petraitis (1.2 steals per game) is the steal leader for Cal while Stojakovic (1.1 blocks per game) is the block leader.
North Carolina vs. Cal Prediction
North Carolina 85, Cal 72
How to Bet on North Carolina vs. Cal
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