North Carolina vs Cal College Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for Jan. 17

The California Golden Bears (13-5, 1-4 ACC) will attempt to stop a three-game losing streak when they host the North Carolina Tar Heels (14-3, 2-2 ACC) on January 17, 2026 at Haas Pavilion.

Before you place your bet on this matchup at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

North Carolina vs. Cal Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Saturday, January 17, 2026
• Game time: 4 p.m. ET
• TV channel: ACC Network
• Location: Berkeley, California
• Arena: Haas Pavilion

North Carolina vs. Cal Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: North Carolina win (60%)

Take a look at some betting trends and insights for North Carolina (-6.5) versus Cal on Saturday. The over/under is set at 151.5 points for this game.

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North Carolina vs. Cal: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• North Carolina is 8-9-0 ATS this season.
• Cal is 8-9-0 ATS this season.
• As a 6.5-point underdog or more in 2025-26, Cal is 2-3 against the spread compared to the 6-5 ATS record North Carolina puts up as a 6.5-point favorite.
• The Tar Heels owned a better record against the spread in home games (7-8-0) than they did on the road (4-8-0) last season.
• Against the spread last year, the Golden Bears had better results on the road (10-3-0) than at home (7-9-0).
• North Carolina has no wins against the spread in conference play this season.
• Cal has posted one ACC win against the spread this year.

North Carolina vs. Cal: Moneyline Betting Stats

• North Carolina has been the moneyline favorite in 13 games this season and has come away with the win 12 times (92.3%) in those contests.
• The Tar Heels have been a -275 moneyline favorite on 10 occasions this season and won every game.
• Cal has compiled a 1-5 record in games it was the underdog on the moneyline (winning 16.7% of those games).
• The Golden Bears have a 1-4 record (winning only 20% of their games) when they have played as a moneyline underdog of +220 or longer.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies North Carolina has a 73.3% chance of walking away with the win.

North Carolina vs. Cal Head-to-Head Comparison

• With 80.7 points scored per game and 74.7 points conceded last year, North Carolina was 29th in the nation offensively and 261st defensively.
• On the boards, North Carolina was 105th in the nation in rebounds (33.2 per game) last season. It was 182nd in rebounds conceded (31.2 per game).
• Last season North Carolina was ranked 93rd in the nation in assists with 14.7 per game.
• Last year, North Carolina was 120th in the nation in turnovers committed (10.5 per game) and 288th in turnovers forced (10.2).
• Cal put up 75.6 points per game (129th-ranked in college basketball) last year, while giving up 76.8 points per contest (310th-ranked).
• Cal averaged 33.4 rebounds per game (90th-ranked in college basketball). It gave up 31.8 rebounds per contest (217th-ranked).
• When it comes to assists, Cal averaged just 10.5 per contest (eighth-worst in college basketball).
• Cal committed 11.2 turnovers per game (186th-ranked in college basketball). It forced 11.2 turnovers per contest (184th-ranked).

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