California Golden Bears vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish Prediction, 3/8/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: California Golden Bears vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025

Location: Purcell Pavilion in Davidson, NC

TV: ESPN+

The California Golden Bears (13-17) are on their way to Purcell Pavilion on Saturday where they will meet the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (13-17).

The California Golden Bears took the court against Louisville and took a loss by a score of 85-68 in their last game. In regard to personal fouls, the Golden Bears left the arena with 20 while Louisville racked up 17 personal fouls. They also converted 11 of 23 tries from beyond the arc. Louisville ended up shooting 76.9% at the free throw line by knocking down 20 of their 26 attempts. Additionally, Louisville collected 37 rebounds (5 offensive, 32 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Louisville totaled 12 assists and had 5 steals for the game. Pertaining to defense, California allowed their opponent to shoot 52.9% from the floor on 27 of 51 shooting. They also distributed 11 assists in this game in addition to forcing the opposition into 14 turnovers and earning 9 steals. Pertaining to hauling in boards, they earned 38 with 19 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Golden Bears made 17 of their 22 attempts for a rate of 77.3%. California finished having earned a 29.6% field goal percentage (21 out of 71) and converted 9 of 32 shots from downtown.

Jovan Blacksher Jr. is a player who was a major contributor in this matchup. He shot 50.0% from the floor and also dished out 3 dimes. He was on the court for 32 mins and also grabbed 4 boards. He notched 22 points on 7 out of 14 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Tonight

California enters this one with a mark of 13-17 this season. They average 74.3 pts per game (174th in the nation) while shooting 41.6% from the floor. The Golden Bears are connecting on 32.0% on three-point attempts (219 of 685) and 74.7% from the free throw line. As a unit, California is collecting 37.2 rebounds per game and has accounted for 315 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 354th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession via turnover 11.5 times per game and as a unit are committing 16.2 fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Golden Bears are forcing 11.2 turnovers every game and they draw 18.9 personal fouls. They give up 38.0% on 3-pointers while they are 289th in college in PPG allowed (75.7). The Golden Bears are giving up a field goal percentage of 46.8% (820 of 1,754) and they relinquish 34.7 rebounds per contest as a team. They currently rank 65th in college in giving up assists with 358 conceded this year.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish went home victorious with a score of 56-54 against Stanford. The Fighting Irish snagged 25 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards for a total of 32 in this matchup. They turned it over 8 times, while getting 2 steals in the matchup. Stanford was called for 18 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Fighting Irish to the charity stripe for 25 attempts. They were able to convert 15 of them for a rate of 60.0%. In relation to 3-point shots, Notre Dame converted 7 of 19 attempts (36.8%). When the final whistle blew, the Fighting Irish shot 17 out of 48 from the field which had them shooting 35.4%. The Fighting Irish allowed Stanford to convert 19 of 57 tries from the floor which had them shooting 33.3% for the game. They finished 24.0% from beyond the perimeter via 6 out of 25 and finished the contest at 10 of 11 from the free throw line (90.9%). When discussing attacking the glass, Notre Dame allowed Stanford to grab 35 overall (7 on the offensive side).

Markus Burton ended up having an impact for the Fighting Irish in this contest. He tallied 24 points in his 38 minutes on the hardwood and added 1 assist for the matchup. He knocked down 8 of 20 in this contest for a field goal rate of 40.0%, and had 7 rebounds.

Notre Dame has a mark of 13-17 this year. The Fighting Irish are committing 15.7 fouls per game and they connect on 74.0% from the charity stripe. Their rate of earning assists is at 11.6 times per contest (318th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 11.0 times per contest. Notre Dame has earned 2,174 pts this year (72.5 per game) and they grab 34.6 rebounds per contest. As an offense, the Fighting Irish are hitting on 45.5% from the floor, which ranks 140th in college.

The Fighting Irish are ranked 179th in Division 1 in points allowed per game with 71.7. They are able to force 10.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 45.0% from the field (253rd in college hoops). The Notre Dame defense allows 31.9% on shots from 3-point land (222 of 695) and opponents are converting on 75.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 14.2 assists and 31.9 boards on a nightly basis, ranking them 269th and 46th in those defensive categories.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take California

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here