California Golden Bears vs North Carolina Tar Heels NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 1/15/25
Making on a bet on this NCAA game featuring the Golden Bears versus the Tar Heels? Tip off is at at 7:00 ET, and you can watch it all unfold on ACCN. The game will be played at Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC. The over/under for this Atlantic Coast conference contest is set at 159.5 points, with North Carolina being favored by -14.5 at home against California.
CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS VS NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS BETTING PICK
The Pick: California Golden Bears +14.5
This game will be played at Dean E. Smith Center at 7:00 ET on Wednesday, January 15th.
WHY BET THE CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS:
- We have this one finishing with a projected score of 79-67 in favor of the Tar Heels.
- Even though we have North Carolina winning straight-up, we like California at +14.5.
- The over/under is currently sitting at 159.5 points, and we like the under with a projected 146 points.
Will California Pull Through as the Underdog Road Team?
California Golden Bears Recent Game/Games
The Golden Bears fell to 8-8 on the season after a 71-68 home loss to Virginia Tech on Saturday. Cal entered the game as 7-point favorites but failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game were 139, just under the O/U line of 144.5.
Cal struggled early, trailing 42-23 at halftime, but mounted a comeback in the 2nd half, outscoring the Hokies 45-29. Despite the strong finish, they couldn’t complete the comeback.
California struggled offensively in their last game, shooting just 32.4% from the field and 25.9% from three-point range, finishing with an effective field goal percentage of 38.2%. They did manage to hit 81% of their free throws, going 17-for-21 from the line, and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds.
Andrej Stojakovic led the way with 24 points, despite shooting 1-for-6 from beyond the arc. Jaydon Young and Jeremiah Wilkinson each added 14 points, with Young shooting 54.5% overall. Tyler Johnson contributed 11 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.
Despite giving up 71 points, the California Golden Bears held their opponent to just 32% shooting from the field, with a 36% mark on two-point attempts (15/41). From beyond the arc, they allowed 7 made threes on 27 attempts, a 25% shooting rate.
California sent their opponent to the free-throw line 21 times, where they converted 17 free throws, an 81% success rate. The Golden Bears also gave up 17 offensive rebounds in the game.
Can the Tar Heels Pull Off a Home Win?
North Carolina improved to 11-6 on the season with a 63-61 win over NC State on Saturday. The Tar Heels were -4.5 favorites going into the game but didn’t cover the spread. The combined points of 124 fell well short of the 150.5 O/U line.
UNC led 26-20 at halftime but allowed 41 points in the 2nd half while scoring 37. Despite the narrow margin, they managed to hold on for the win.
In their last game, the Tar Heels put up 63 points, shooting 43.3% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 50%. They connected on 36.8% of their three-point attempts, going 7-for-19 from beyond the arc, and struggled at the free-throw line, hitting just 4 of 8 attempts.
Ian Jackson led the way with 21 points, knocking down 5 of 8 threes, while Marcus Hill added 20 points and 9 rebounds. Jalen Washington contributed 11 rebounds and shot 66.7% from the field, finishing with 11 points.
North Carolina’s defense was strong, holding their opponent to just 61 points on 36% shooting. They were particularly effective at defending the three-point line, where the other team shot just 3/19, or 15%.
Even with 16 offensive rebounds, the opposing team couldn’t capitalize, shooting 45% from two-point range. They did manage to hit 10/12 free throws, good for 83%.