The Virginia Cavaliers (8-6) travel to face off against the California Golden Bears (7-7) on Wednesday, January 8th. This game will be played at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley and televised on ESPNU. Both Virginia and California will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Tip-off is scheduled for 11:00 ET.

Virginia Cavaliers vs California Golden Bears

The Cavaliers Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Virginia Cavaliers Recent Game/Games

Virginia fell to 8-6 on the season after a 70-50 home loss to Louisville on Saturday. The Cavaliers entered the game as +5 point underdogs and failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game were 120, falling short of the 130.5 O/U line.

After trailing 32-27 at halftime, Virginia struggled in the 2nd half, scoring just 23 points while allowing 38.

The Golden Bears Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

California Golden Bears Recent Game/Games

The Golden Bears fell to 7-7 on the season after an 80-68 loss to Clemson on Saturday. Despite being +14.5 point underdogs, Cal kept the game closer than expected.

Cal trailed 39-36 at halftime but couldn’t keep pace in the 2nd half, scoring 32 points while allowing 41. The game’s total points of 148 just missed the O/U line of 148.5.

Cavaliers Offense Breakdown

Virginia’s offense struggled in their last game, putting up just 50 points on 37% shooting from the field. Their effective field goal percentage was 40.7%, largely due to hitting only 5 of 26 from beyond the arc, a 19.2% clip. They did connect on 53.6% of their two-point attempts and were 83.3% from the free-throw line, though they only attempted 6 free throws.

Andrew Rohde and Reyne Smith each contributed 15 points, with Smith hitting 5 threes on 10 attempts. Aboubacar Traore added 15 points and 8 rebounds in just 16 minutes, shooting 6 of 10 from the field. Virginia also managed 13 assists and 6 offensive rebounds in the game.

Golden Bears Offense Breakdown

In their latest game, the Golden Bears put up 68 points, shooting 45.6% from the field with an effective field goal percentage of 50.9%. They hit 35.3% from beyond the arc, connecting on 6 of 17 attempts, and went 10 for 16 from the free-throw line, a 62.5% mark.

Andrej Stojakovic led the way with 30 points, shooting 73.3% overall, while Ian Schieffelin added 21 points on 80% shooting. Chase Hunter contributed 19 points and 6 assists, and Jovan Blacksher Jr. hit 3 threes, finishing with 15 points.

Cavaliers Team Defense

Virginia’s defense held their opponent to 70 points on 37% shooting from the field. They allowed 15 two-point baskets on 28 attempts, a 53% success rate.

From beyond the arc, Virginia’s defense limited their opponent to 5 made threes on 26 attempts, just 19% shooting. They also sent them to the free-throw line 6 times, where they made 5, for 83%.

Golden Bears Team Defense

Virginia’s defense held their opponent to 70 points on 37% shooting from the field. They were more effective at limiting damage from beyond the arc, where the opposition shot just 5/26 for 19%.

Inside, the Cavaliers allowed 15/28 shooting for 53% on two-point attempts. They sent the other team to the line only 6 times, where they made 5 free throws. Virginia also gave up 6 offensive rebounds.

Cavaliers vs Golden Bears Trends

• Across their ten previous road games, Virginia has an ATS mark of 5-5. Their straight up record in these matchups was 5-5 while averaging 61 points per game.
• When looking at their past ten home matchups, California has an ATS record of 7-3 while averaging 74 per game. The team went 3-7 overall in these games.
• Going back to their previous ten games as the underdog, Virginia has an ATS mark of 2-8 while going 1-9 straight up.
• Over the team’s last five games as the favorite, the Golden Bears struggled vs the spread going just 2-3. However, they still had a straight up mark of 3-2.

Cavaliers vs Golden Bears Prediction

When looking to get a point-spread pick down in this Golden Bears vs. Golden Bears game, our recommendation is to take the Golden Bears at -3.5. Despite our model showing the Golden Bears winning 74-73, we like Cavaliers as our point-spread pick.

Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 131.5, and our model predicts the Cavaliers and Golden Bears 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.