California vs NC State Prediction 1/18/25 College Basketball Picks

The California Golden Bears are visiting the NC State Wolfpack on Saturday, January 18th at the Lenovo Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a California Golden Bears vs NC State Wolfpack Prediction. We will examine:

The NC State Wolfpack’s recent form and player performance

The California Golden Bears’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the NC State Wolfpack

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the California Golden Bears

Recent betting trends in games played between California Golden Bears and NC State Wolfpack

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

NC State Wolfpack Preview

The NC State Wolfpack have a 9-8 record this season and are sitting in the 11th place in the Atlantic Coast. NC State is coming off a 76-79 loss to Virginia Tech. The Wolfpack are 6-11 against the spread, and 6-11 in over/under while having a 9-2 home record.

Offensively, NC State is averaging 72.1 points per game, which ranks 255th in the nation. Defensively, they allow 67.4 points per game (69th). The Wolfpack shoot 45.4% from the field (156th) and 32.2% from beyond the arc (268th). The Wolfpack shoot 70.7% from the free-throw line (214th) and are grabbing 32.5 rebounds per game (328th).

Marcus Hill leads NC State in scoring with an average of 13.2 points and 3.9 rebounds, while Jayden Taylor adds 12.5 points per game.

California Golden Bears Preview

The California Golden Bears have an 8-9 record this season and are sitting in the 15th place in the Atlantic Coast. The Bears are coming off a 53-79 loss to North Carolina. The Bears are 8-8-1 against the spread, and 10-7 in over/under while having a 1-5 road record.

Offensively, California is averaging 75.6 points per game, which ranks 170th in the nation. Defensively, they allow 75.7 points per game (288th). The Golden Bears shoot 43.6% from the field (250th) and 33.4% from beyond the arc (206th). The Golden Bears shoot 75.1% from the free-throw line (74th) and are grabbing 36.3 rebounds per game (167th).

Andrej Stojakovic leads California in scoring this season, with an average of 19.5 points and 4.4 rebounds, while Jeremiah Wilkinson adds 11.8 points per game.

Why the NC State Wolfpack will win

• California has lost 10 of its last 11 games against the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• The home team has won eight of NC State’s last nine games.
• NC State has won the first half in 10 of its last 12 night games.

Why the California Golden Bears will win

• NC State has lost four of its last five games.
• NC State has lost the first half in seven of its last eight night games against the Atlantic Coast Conference at Lenovo Center.

California Golden Bears vs NC State Wolfpack Prediction

In this California Golden Bears vs NC State Wolfpack Prediction, NC State is coming as a -5.5 home favorite. California is better offensively, scoring 3.5 points more than NC State, while NC State is better defensively, allowing 8.3 points less. The Wolfpack are winning by an average of 4.7 points this season, while the Golden Bears are losing by 0.1 points. Both teams are struggling lately, as both are 2-8 in their last 10 games and they have been involved in some lower-scoring games lately, as they are 6-2 to the under in their last 8 games combined. With both teams being below the national average, I expect a low-scoring game, so take the under.