California Golden Bears vs North Carolina State Wolfpack Prediction, 1/18/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: California Golden Bears vs NC State Wolfpack

Date: Saturday, January 18, 2025

Location: Lenovo Center in Raleigh, NC

TV: ESPN+

The California Golden Bears (8-9) are on their way to Lenovo Center on Saturday where they will go up against the NC State Wolfpack (9-8).

The California Golden Bears took the court against North Carolina and took a loss by a final of 79-53 in their last contest. California wrapped up the game with a 34.8% field goal percentage (24 of 69) and made 3 out of their 25 shots from downtown. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Golden Bears knocked down 2 of 5 shots for a rate of 40.0%. Regarding pulling down rebounds, they earned a total of 33 with 11 of them being offensive. They also doled out 12 assists in the game while forcing 10 turnovers and earning 7 steals. When it comes to defending, California allowed their opponent to shoot 47.7% from the field on 31 out of 65 shooting. North Carolina distributed 9 dimes and had 7 steals for the game. Furthermore, North Carolina collected 42 boards (9 offensive, 33 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. North Carolina ended up going 92.3% at the charity stripe by knocking down 12 of 13 attempts. They converted 5 of their 14 tries from beyond the arc. When it comes to fouls, the Golden Bears ended up finishing with 9 and North Carolina finished the game with 10 fouls.

Mady Sissoko is a guy who played a role for the contest. He notched 16 points on 8 of 9 shooting. He saw the court for 24 minutes played and snagged 8 rebounds. He ended up shooting 88.9% from the field and totaled 2 assists.

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California comes into this one with a win-loss mark of 8-9 so far this season. They turn the ball over 12.0 times per contest and as a squad are committing 16.8 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, California is collecting 36.3 boards per contest and has racked up 174 assists on the season, which has them ranked 355th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Golden Bears are connecting on 33.4% on three-point shots (125 of 374) and 75.1% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 75.6 points per game (170th in the country) while hitting 43.6% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Golden Bears are forcing 11.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 19.1 fouls. They are currently ranked 138th in college in allowing assists to their opponents with 211 surrendered this year. The Golden Bears are allowing a field goal percentage of 47.1% (463 of 983) and they relinquish 33.2 rebounds per game as a team. They give up 37.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 289th in D-1 in points per game allowed (75.7).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the NC State Wolfpack went home defeated by a final of 79-76 against Virginia Tech. The Wolfpack corralled 15 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 22 in the game. They gave up possession 8 times, while recording 7 steals for the matchup. Virginia Tech was called for 16 personal fouls in this game which got the Wolfpack to the charity stripe for a total of 17 tries. They were able to knock down 14 of those for a clip of 82.4%. Regarding shots from downtown, North Carolina State made 8 of 19 attempts (42.1%). Overall, the Wolfpack went 27 for 54 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.0%. The Wolfpack allowed Virginia Tech to convert 27 of their 59 tries from the field which had them sitting at 45.8% for the matchup. They finished 50.0% from 3-point land by going 11 of 22 and walked away from this one shooting 14 of 17 at the free throw line (82.4%). Concerning rebounds, North Carolina State permitted Virginia Tech to pull down 35 overall (15 on the offensive glass).

Jayden Taylor pitched in for the Wolfpack in this matchup. He converted 6 of 14 for the game for a field goal rate of 42.9%, and totaled 2 rebounds. He earned 17 points in his 32 minutes on the hardwood and had 3 dimes in this game.

North Carolina State has a record of 9-8 so far this year. On the offensive side of the court, the Wolfpack are shooting 45.4% from the floor, which is 159th in the nation. North Carolina State has tallied 1,225 points so far this year (72.1 per game) and they grab 32.5 boards per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 13.3 times per game (229th in D-1) and they cough up possession 9.6 times per contest. The Wolfpack commit 16.3 personal fouls per game and they connect on 70.7% from the charity stripe.

The Wolfpack are ranked 69th in D-1 in points given up per game with 67.4. They have forced 13.3 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 44.0% from the field (227th in D-1). The North Carolina State defense concedes 32.5% on shots from beyond the arc (108 of 332) and their opposition knocks down 74.2% of their foul shots. They have given up 12.3 assists and 35.1 total boards per game, which is ranked 116th and 223rd in college.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take North Carolina State

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