Louisville (23-6) vs California (13-16)
Game Info: Wednesday, March 5, 2025 at 9:00 pm (KFC Yum! Center)
The Line: Betting Odds: Louisville -14.5 — Over/Under: 153.5
The California Golden Bears and Louisville Cardinals meet on Wednesday in college basketball action at KFC Yum! Center. Here’s a California vs Louisville prediction. This article will include a California vs Louisville Pick.
California Golden Bears Betting Preview
The California Golden Bears (13-16, 16-11-2 ATS) experienced the roughest patch of the season, during which they lost five consecutive games. Cal avoided the sixth straight defeat with a win over Boston College, but the Golden Bears did lose seven of the last nine games. California is 13th in the ACC Standings with the same record as Notre Dame, and ten games behind Louisville.
California averages 74.5 PPG (173rd) and allows 75.4 PPG (285th). The Golden Bears are 103rd in rebounds (37.1) and 433rd in assists (10.5). Andrej Stojakovic leads the team with 17.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 1.1 BPG. Jeremiah Wilkinson follows him with 14.8 PPG, while BJ Omot has 10.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 1.0 SPG.
Louisville Cardinals Betting Preview
The Louisville Cardinals (23-6, 17-12 ATS) are playing some fantastic basketball of late. Although their 10-game winning streak snapped with a loss to Georgia Tech, the Cardinals are now on a seven-game winning run. Four of those wins came on the road against Boston College, NC State, Notre Dame, and Virginia Tech, while the most recent was against Pittsburgh. Louisville will end the regular season with a pair of home games. Louisville is 3rd in the ACC Standings with the same record as Clemson and is 1.5 games behind the leaders Duke.
Louisville is averaging 79.5 PPG (56th) and is allowing 69.2 PPG (94th). The Cardinals are getting 37.4 RPG (89th) and dish out 14.3 APG (147th). Chucky Hepburn is the team’s top scorer with 16.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, a team-high 6.0 APG, and a team-high 2.4 SPG. Terrence Edwards Jr. adds 15.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 2.7 APG, while Reyne Smith contributes 13.8 PPG and 2.9 RPG.
Why Louisville will beat California
- California has lost each of its last 15 night games against AP-ranked opponents.
- Louisville has won each of its last 12 games at KFC Yum! Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- California has lost the first half in each of its last 11 night games against AP-ranked opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Louisville’s last seven night games against Conference opponents at KFC Yum! Center has produced a total of 153 or fewer points.
- Twenty-four of California’s last 27 games against AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 151 or fewer points.
Matchup/League Facts
- Louisville ranks 28th among Division 1 teams for opponent free throw attempts per game this season (15.4).
- Louisville ranks 29th among Division 1 teams for net rating this season (+14.9).
- California ranks 23rd among Division 1 teams for opponent three-point field goal attempts per game this season (18.8).
- California ranks 26th among Division 1 teams for free throw attempts per game this season (22.9).
California vs Louisville Prediction
These teams have met just once before and it was 15 years ago. California lost seven of the last ten games, while Louisville won nine of the previous ten. The Cardinals are 12-3 at home, while the Golden Bears are 2-9 on the road and lost four consecutive road games. On the other hand, Louisville secured nine straight victories at home and I expect another one on Wednesday. Louisville is battling for the No.2 seed prior to the conference championship’s start, and I am backing the hosts to get a comfortable W here.