The California Golden Bears (13-17) travel to face off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-17) on Saturday, March 8th. This game will be played at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend and televised on ACCN. Notre Dame is coming off a win in their previous game, while California is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Louisville. Tip-off is set for 4:00 ET.

California Golden Bears vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Golden Bears Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

California Golden Bears Recent Game/Games

California’s season record dropped to 13-17 after an 85-68 road loss to Louisville on Wednesday. The Golden Bears entered the game as +14.5 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread.

Cal trailed 41-26 at halftime but managed to score 42 points in the 2nd half. However, they allowed 44 points in the 2nd half, resulting in a combined total of 153 points, just under the game’s O/U line of 154.5.

The Fighting Irish Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Recent Game/Games

Notre Dame improved to 13-17 on the season with a 56-54 win over Stanford on Wednesday. The Irish, who were +1 underdogs, covered the spread with the victory.

After trailing 24-21 at halftime, Notre Dame outscored Stanford 35-30 in the second half to secure the win. The game’s total points (110) fell well short of the 140.5 O/U line.

Golden Bears Offense Breakdown

California’s offense struggled in their last game, shooting just 29.6% from the field and 28.1% from three-point range. Despite their shooting woes, they managed to grab 20 offensive rebounds and hit 77.3% of their free throws, finishing with 68 points.

Terrence Edwards Jr. was a bright spot, scoring 35 points on 57.9% shooting, including 7 of 11 from deep. Jovan Blacksher Jr. added 22 points, hitting 4 of 7 from three, while Chucky Hepburn contributed 16 points and 5 assists.

Fighting Irish Offense Breakdown

Notre Dame struggled offensively in their last game, scoring just 56 points while shooting 35.4% from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 41.7%, with two-point shooting at 34.5% and three-point shooting at 36.8% (7/19). The Irish also hit only 60% of their free throws, making 15 of 25 attempts.

Markus Burton led the way with 24 points, shooting 40% overall and 50% from beyond the arc (3/6). Maxime Raynaud added 20 points and 10 rebounds, though he missed all three of his three-point attempts. Benny Gealer was efficient, hitting 3 of 4 threes and finishing with 11 points on 66.7% shooting.

Golden Bears Team Defense

California’s defense struggled in their last game, giving up 85 points on 52% shooting from the field. They allowed 57% shooting from two-point range, with the opposing team hitting 16 of their 28 attempts.

From beyond the arc, California’s opponents shot 47%, knocking down 11 of 23 three-point attempts. They also sent the other team to the free-throw line 26 times, where they converted 20 free throws for 76%.

Fighting Irish Team Defense

California’s defense struggled in their last game, giving up 85 points on 52% shooting from the field. They allowed 57% shooting on two-point attempts, with the opposing team hitting 16 of 28 shots.

From beyond the arc, California’s defense allowed 11 threes on 23 attempts, a 47% success rate. They also sent the other team to the free-throw line 26 times, where they converted 20 of those attempts, shooting 76%. The Golden Bears gave up 6 offensive rebounds.

Golden Bears vs Fighting Irish Trends

• California has a 0-3 record in their last three road games. In this stretch, they averaged 72 points per game while allowing 80. The team also performed well vs the spread at 2-1.
• Across their three previous home games, Notre Dame has an ATS mark of 1-2. Their straight up record in these matchups was 1-2 while averaging 78 points per game.
• Going back to their previous three games as the underdog, California has an ATS mark of 1-2 while going 0-3 straight up.
• The last five games that Notre Dame was favored, they have an ATS mark of 0-5 while going 2-3 straight up.

Golden Bears vs Fighting Irish Prediction

We’re calling a win for the Fighting Irish, with a final score of 80-67, and we’re taking them to cover the spread. Our recommendation is to bet on the Fighting Irish at -4.5.

Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 145.5, and our model predicts the Golden Bears and Fighting Irish to score a combined 147 points. We recommend betting on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.