California vs Clemson Prediction College Basketball Picks 1/4/25

The California Golden Bears are visiting the Clemson Tigers on Saturday, January 4th at the Littlejohn Coliseum. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a California Golden Bears vs Clemson Tigers Prediction. We will examine:

The Clemson Tigers’ recent form and player performance

The California Golden Bears’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Clemson Tigers

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the California Golden Bears

Recent betting trends in games played between California Golden Bears and Clemson Tigers

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the California Golden Bears vs Clemson Tigers game

Clemson Tigers Preview

The Clemson Tigers have an 11-3 record this season and are sitting in the second place of the Atlantic Coast. The Tigers are coming off an 85-71 win over Stanford. The Tigers are 8-6 against the spread, and 8-6 in over/under while having an 8-1 home record this season.

Offensively, Clemson is averaging 78.4 points per game, which ranks 111th in the nation. Defensively, they are allowing 66.8 points per game (79th). The Tigers shoot 45.5% from the field (169th) and 37.6% from beyond the arc (48th). The Tigers shoot 78% from the free throw line (24th) and are grabbing 36.1 rebounds per game (205th).

Chase Hunter leads Clemson in scoring this season, with an average of 17.2 points and 2.6 rebounds, while Ian Schieffelin adds 13.1 points and a team-high 11.1 rebounds.

California Golden Bears Preview

The California Golden Bears have a 7-6 record this season and are sitting on the 15th place of the Atlantic Coast. The Bears are coming off a 74-86 loss to Pittsburgh. The Bears are 6-6-1 against the spread, and 9-4 in over/under, while they have a 1-3 road record.

Offensively, California is averaging 78.5 points per game, which ranks 107th in the nation. Defensively, they allow 76.6 points per game (307th). The Golden Bears shoot 45.3% from the field (179th) and 36% from beyond the arc (91st). The Golden Bears shoot 75.2% from the free-throw line (80th) and are grabbing 37.5 rebounds per game (133rd).

Andrej Stojakovic leads California in scoring this season, with an average of 19.1 points and 4.7 rebounds, while Jeremiah Wilkinson adds 12.7 points. California will face Virginia following this one.

Why the Clemson Tigers will win

• Clemson has won each of its last nine night games at Littlejohn Coliseum.
• California has lost each of its last seven games against the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• Clemson has won the first half in each of its last seven night games at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Why the California Golden Bears will win

• Clemson has lost three of its last four night games against the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• California has won the first half in six of its last eight games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

California Golden Bears vs Clemson Tigers Prediction

In their only previous meeting back in 2022, Clemson won 67-59 on the road, not covering the spread, as the game went over the point total. In this California Golden Bears vs Clemson Tigers Prediction, Clemson is coming as a -15.5 home favorite. California is better offensively, scoring 0.1 points more than Clemson, while Clemson is better defensively, allowing 9.8 points less. The Tigers are winning by an average of 11.8 points this season, while the Bears are winning by an average of 1.9 points. California is coming into this game struggling, as they are 1-5 in their last 6 games and 2-3 against the spread, and are up against a superior Clemson team, that has been almost perfect at home. The value here lies with the home team, so take the Clemson Tigers and lay the points at home.

Nikos Lagouretos's Pick: Clemson Tigers -15.5