California Golden Bears vs Pittsburgh Panthers Matchup

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

California vs Pittsburgh Prediction

The Golden Bears and Panthers are set to face off at 2:00 ET on ACCN. The Panthers will host the game at Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA. The odds for this Atlantic Coast conference game currently have Pittsburgh as the -13.5 point favorite with the over/under line sitting at 154 points.

California vs. Pittsburgh Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: California Golden Bears at Pittsburgh Panthers
Where: Pittsburgh at Petersen Events Center
Date: Wednesday, January 1st
Betting Odds PITT -13.5, CAH +575 | PITT -920 O/U 154

Golden Bears Preview: Can the Golden Bears Pull Off a Win at Pittsburgh?

California Golden Bears Recent Game/Games

The Golden Bears dropped to 7-5 on the season after a 71-50 loss to San Diego State on Saturday. Cal, playing at home, entered the game as +5.5 point underdogs but failed to cover the spread.

Cal trailed 25-16 at halftime and couldn’t keep up with the Aztecs in the 2nd half, allowing 46 points while scoring 34. The game’s total points of 121 fell short of the 144.5 O/U line.

Golden Bears Offense Breakdown

California's offense struggled in their last game, scoring just 50 points on 25.5% shooting from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 29.1%, with two-point shooting at 29% and three-point shooting at 20.8% (5/24). They did hit 81% of their free throws, going 17/21 from the line.

Nick Boyd led the way with 17 points, hitting 5 of 8 from three-point range. The team managed just 4 assists, but grabbed 16 offensive rebounds. BJ Davis added 12 points, shooting 50% from deep, while Jeremiah Wilkinson and Miles Byrd also contributed 12 points each.

Golden Bears Team Defense

Even with a strong defensive effort, the California Golden Bears couldn’t come out on top, giving up 71 points despite holding their opponent to just 25% shooting from the field. The Bears limited their opponent to 29% shooting on two-point attempts, with just 9 makes on 31 tries.

California also did well defending the three-point line, where their opponent shot only 20%, hitting 5 of 24 attempts. However, they sent their opponent to the free-throw line 21 times, where they converted 17 of those attempts, shooting 81%.

Panthers Preview: Will the Panthers Find a Way to Win at Home?

Pittsburgh improved to 10-2 on the season with a dominant 110-78 win over Sam Houston on Saturday. Playing at home, the Panthers entered the game as 17-point favorites and covered the spread with ease.

Pittsburgh led 52-40 at halftime and turned up the intensity in the second half, outscoring the Bearkats 58-38. The game’s total points of 188 went over the pre-game line of 151.5.

Panthers Offense Breakdown

Pittsburgh's offense was firing on all cylinders in their last game, putting up 110 points on 58.5% shooting from the field. They connected on 51.6% of their three-point attempts, going 16-for-31, and their effective field goal percentage was an impressive 70.8%.

Cameron Huefner led the way with 26 points, while Zack Austin and Ishmael Leggett each added 23 points, shooting 66.7% from the field. Jaland Lowe contributed 18 points and dished out 11 assists, and the Panthers finished with 23 assists as a team.

Panthers Team Defense

Despite Pittsburgh's defensive struggles, they still managed to put up 78 points in their last game. The Panthers shot 58% from the field, hitting 38 of their 65 attempts.

From beyond the arc, Pittsburgh connected on 16 of their 31 three-point attempts, shooting 51%. They also went 18/23 from the free-throw line, making 78% of their shots.

Golden Bears vs Panthers Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

When looking at their past five road matchups, California has an ATS record of 3-2 while averaging 74 per game. The team went 1-4 overall in these games.
In their last three home games, the Panthers have a straight up record of 2-1 while going 1-2 vs the spread. The team's offense averaged 70 points per game in these contests.
Spanning across their last three games as the betting underdog, the Golden Bears have gone 2-1 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 1-2.
Going back to their previous ten games as the favorite, Pittsburgh has an ATS mark of 7-3 while going 9-1 straight up.