California Golden Bears vs Louisville Cardinals Prediction, 3/5/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: California Golden Bears vs Louisville Cardinals

Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Location: KFC Yum! Center in Denton, TX

TV: ESPN+

The Louisville Cardinals (23-6) will go up against the California Golden Bears (13-16) at KFC Yum! Center on Wednesday.

The California Golden Bears took the court against Boston College and took home the win by a score of 82-71 in their last game. California finished the game having earned a 49.2% field goal percentage (30 of 61) and made 7 out of their 18 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Golden Bears made 15 of their 21 tries for a rate of 71.4%. With respect to hauling in rebounds, they compiled 38 with 10 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 11 assists for the game while forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In the matter of defense, California allowed 39.7% from the floor on 25 of 63 shooting. Boston College earned 6 dimes and had 6 steals for this game. On top of that, Boston College snagged 32 boards (9 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Boston College finished the game at 81.0% from the charity stripe by knocking down 17 of 21 shots. They also buried 4 of 14 attempts from 3-point range. Regarding fouls, the Golden Bears ended up walking away with 15 and Boston College totaled 21 fouls.

Mady Sissoko is a player who played a role in this game. He left the arena with 21 points on 9 of 10 shooting. He was on the court for 29 minutes and also totaled 15 boards. He ended up shooting 90.0% from the field but wasn't able to get an assist.

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California will enter this game with a mark of 13-16 for the campaign. They are turning it over 11.6 times per contest and as a team are committing 16.1 fouls every game. As a unit, California is pulling in 37.1 rebounds per game and is sitting with 304 assists so far this season, which has them ranked 358th in the country in terms of passing. The Golden Bears are shooting 32.2% on shots from downtown (210 of 653) and 74.7% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 74.5 points per contest (160th in the nation) while shooting 42.1% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Golden Bears are able to force 11.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.0 fouls. They are ranked 57th in Division 1 in giving up assists with 346 surrendered on the season. The Golden Bears are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 46.6% (793 of 1,703) and they surrender 34.6 rebounds per game as a squad. They give up 37.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 285th in college in PPG allowed (75.4).

In their last game, the Louisville Cardinals went home victorious with a score of 79-68 when they played Pittsburgh. The Cardinals were able to collect 29 defensive boards and 2 offensive boards totaling 31 for the game. They coughed it up 11 times, while getting 6 steals in this matchup. Pittsburgh earned 21 personal fouls for the contest which got the Cardinals to the free throw line for a total of 31 tries. They were able to knock down 22 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 71.0%. In terms of shots from distance, Louisville converted 11 of their 21 attempts (52.4%). When all was said and done, the Cardinals finished the game shooting 23 for 45 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 51.1%. The Cardinals allowed Pittsburgh to make 23 of their 63 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 36.5% in the game. They went 27.0% from distance by going 10 of 37 and walked away from this one shooting 12 of 17 at the free throw line (70.6%). When discussing how they cleaned up the glass, Louisville allowed Pittsburgh to get 37 in total (11 offensive).

Chucky Hepburn ended up being a major contributor for the Cardinals in this game. He made 9 of 11 for the game giving him a field goal percentage of 81.8%, and accounted for 4 rebounds. He had 37 points in his 35 minutes of playing time and added 4 assists in this contest.

Louisville has a mark of 23-6 so far this season. The Cardinals are committing 15.4 fouls every game and they shoot 74.5% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 14.3 times per contest (130th in D-1) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.3 times per contest. Louisville has scored 2,306 pts so far this year (79.5 per contest) and they pull down 37.4 boards per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Cardinals are hitting on 45.4% from the field, which is 145th in the country.

The Cardinals defensively are ranked 95th in college hoops in points given up per game with 69.2. They are able to force 13.3 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 43.4% from the field (162nd in college). The Louisville defense surrenders 33.8% on shots from behind the 3-point line (225 of 665) and their opposition knocks down 70.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They concede 11.7 assists and 33.1 boards per game, which has them ranked 60th and 106th in college.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Louisville

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