California Golden Bears vs Virginia Cavaliers Prediction, 1/7/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: California Golden Bears vs Virginia Cavaliers

Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Location: John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA

TV: ACC Network

The California Golden Bears (13-2) are headed to John Paul Jones Arena on Wednesday where they will meet the Virginia Cavaliers (12-2).

The California Golden Bears took the court against Notre Dame and walked away with a win by a score of 72-71 in their last contest. California walked away from the game having earned a 40.6% field goal percentage (26 out of 64) and made 11 of their 39 shots from beyond the arc. At the charity stripe, the Golden Bears buried 9 of 12 attempts for a percentage of 75.0%. In terms of hauling in rebounds, they collected a total of 31 with 7 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 13 assists in this contest while forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and earning 4 steals. With respect to defense, California allowed their opponent to shoot 40.0% from the floor on 22 of 55 shooting. Notre Dame recorded 14 dimes and had but didn't notch a steal. Additionally, Notre Dame totaled 41 rebounds (10 offensive, 31 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Notre Dame walked away from this one shooting 61.5% at the charity stripe by burying 16 of 26 shots. They also made 11 of their 31 tries from 3-point range. When it comes to personal fouls, the Golden Bears left the arena with 21 and Notre Dame totaled 15 personal fouls.

Dai Dai Ames is one player who was a major factor for this contest. He accumulated 23 points on 9 out of 16 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 34 minutes played and also snagged 1 rebound. He finished shooting 56.3% from the floor and recorded 3 assists.

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California heads into this contest with a record of 13-2 on the campaign. They currently have an average of 81.5 points per game (98th in college) while hitting 46.1% from the floor. The Golden Bears are shooting 37.4% on shots beyond the perimeter (141 of 377) and 78.3% from the free throw line. As a unit, California is pulling in 35.5 boards per contest and has accumulated 225 dimes this season, which is 142nd in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. They are losing possession via turnover 9.5 times per game and as a team they commit 17.1 fouls every game.

On defense, the Golden Bears are forcing 12.7 turnovers every game while drawing 18.9 fouls. They currently rank 224th in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 207 surrendered for the season. The Golden Bears are giving up a FG percentage of 41.1% (365 of 889) and they concede 35.7 boards per game as a unit. They relinquish 31.9% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 69th in D-1 in points per game allowed (68.5).

When they last played, the Virginia Cavaliers got the victory with a final of 76-61 when they faced North Carolina State. In regard to attacking the glass, Virginia allowed North Carolina State to collect 20 overall (5 on the offensive side). They finished the game shooting 25.0% from downtown by connecting on 5 of 20 and ended up shooting 20 of 25 at the free throw line (80.0%). The Cavaliers allowed North Carolina State to convert 18 out of their 50 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 36.0% in the matchup. When this game wrapped up, the Cavaliers ended up shooting 26 out of 52 from the floor which had them at 50.0%. When talking about shooting from 3-point land, Virginia made 13 of their 33 attempts (39.4%). They were able to knock down 11 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 73.3%. North Carolina State committed 15 fouls for this game which took the Cavaliers to the free throw line for a total of 15 attempts. They gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while earning 3 steals for the contest. The Cavaliers were able to corral 27 defensive boards and 9 offensive boards for a total of 36 in this game.

Sam Lewis ended up being a factor for the Cavaliers for this game. He recorded 23 points in his 25 mins on the hardwood and had 1 assist in the matchup. He converted 8 of 12 in this contest for a field goal rate of 66.7%, but didn't pull down a rebound.

Virginia has a win-loss record of 12-2 so far this season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Cavaliers are connecting on 48.3% from the floor, which is ranked 61st in Division 1. Virginia has scored 1,207 pts for the campaign (86.2 per contest) and they average 42.1 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 17.2 times per game (55th in D-1) and they turn the ball over 10.8 times per contest. The Cavaliers are committing 19.0 personal fouls per contest and they go 68.3% from the charity stripe.

The Cavaliers on defense are ranked 64th in the country in points allowed per contest with 68.1. They are forcing their opponents into 11.7 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 38.6% from the field (20th in Division 1). The Virginia defense allows 30.5% on shots from beyond the arc (92 of 302) and opponents are converting on 71.9% of their foul shots. They have conceded 10.8 dimes and 33.3 boards per contest, which ranks them 28th and 113th in Division 1.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Virginia

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