California Golden Bears vs North Carolina Tar Heels Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our California vs North Carolina NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Chapel Hill.

California vs North Carolina Prediction

Looking to win big? The Golden Bears and Tar Heels face off at 7:00 ET on ACCN. The Tar Heels are hosting the game at Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC. The odds for this Atlantic Coast conference game currently have North Carolina as the -14.5 point favorite with the over/under line sitting at 159.5 points.

California vs. North Carolina Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: California Golden Bears at North Carolina Tar Heels
Where: Chapel Hill at Dean E. Smith Center
Date: Wednesday, January 15th
Betting Odds NCAR -14.5, CAH +650 | NCAR -1000 O/U 159.5

Golden Bears Preview: No Pressure for California as Away Dogs

California Golden Bears Recent Game/Games

The Golden Bears fell to 8-8 on the season after a 71-68 home loss to the Hokies on Saturday. Cal, who entered the game as 7-point favorites, not only lost but also failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game were 139, falling short of the 144.5 O/U line.

Cal found themselves in a deep hole, trailing 42-23 at halftime. They mounted a comeback in the 2nd half, outscoring Virginia Tech 45-29, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win.

Golden Bears Offense Breakdown

California's offense struggled in their last game, shooting just 32.4% from the field and 25.9% from three-point range. Their effective field goal percentage was 38.2%, but they did hit 81% of their free throws, going 17/21 from the line.

Andrej Stojakovic led the team with 24 points, though he shot only 40% overall and 16.7% from deep. Tyler Johnson contributed 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Jaydon Young and Jeremiah Wilkinson each added 14 points.

Golden Bears Team Defense

Despite giving up 71 points, California's defense held their opponent to just 32% shooting from the field, allowing 22 made baskets on 68 attempts. Inside the arc, they limited their opponent to 15/41 shooting, or 36%.

From three-point range, California's defense allowed 7 made threes on 27 attempts, a 25% shooting performance. They also sent their opponent to the free-throw line 21 times, where they converted 17 free throws, an 81% rate. California gave up 17 offensive rebounds in the game.

Tar Heels Preview: Are North Carolina Ready for a Home Win?

North Carolina improved to 11-6 on the season with a narrow 63-61 road win over NC State on Saturday. The Tar Heels entered the game as -4.5 favorites but didn’t cover the spread. The combined points of 124 fell well short of the 150.5-point O/U line.

UNC led 26-20 at halftime but allowed 41 points in the 2nd half while scoring 37 of their own. Despite the defensive lapse, they managed to hold on for the win.

Tar Heels Offense Breakdown

North Carolina put up 63 points in their last game, shooting 43.3% from the field and 36.8% from beyond the arc. Their effective field goal percentage was 50%, and they 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 also contributed 12 rebounds, and the Tar Heels grabbed 13 offensive boards as a team.

Tar Heels Team Defense

North Carolina's defense was strong, holding their opponent to just 61 points on 36% shooting from the field. They managed to limit two-point attempts to 45% (21/46) and were particularly effective against the three, where their opponents shot just 15% (3/19).

Despite sending their opponent to the line 12 times, the Tar Heels saw them convert 83% of their free throws. North Carolina did give up 16 offensive rebounds, but their defensive efforts still kept the scoring down.

Golden Bears vs Tar Heels Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Although California has a straight up record of 3-7 in their last ten road games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 7-3. The team averaged 74 points per game in these games.
Across their ten previous home games, North Carolina has an ATS mark of 5-5. Their straight up record in these matchups was 7-3 while averaging 75 points per game.
Going back to their last ten games as the underdog, the Golden Bears have a straight up record of 1-9. But, their mark vs the spread was just 5-5.
In their last three games as the betting favorite, the Tar Heels have a straight up record of 3-0, while going 1-2 against the spread.