California Golden Bears vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons Prediction, 3/7/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: California Golden Bears vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Date: Saturday, March 7, 2026

Location: LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC

TV: ACC Network

LJVM Coliseum is the location where the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (15-15) will try to defeat the California Golden Bears (21-9) on Saturday.

The California Golden Bears faced Georgia Tech and notched a win by a score of 76-65 in their last contest. In regard to personal fouls, the Golden Bears walked away with 20 while Georgia Tech racked up 20 personal fouls. They converted 6 out of their 22 shots from beyond the arc. Georgia Tech finished 79.2% at the free throw line by knocking down 19 of 24 attempts. Additionally, Georgia Tech totaled 33 boards (3 offensive, 30 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Georgia Tech earned 16 dimes and had 5 steals in this game. In terms of defending, California allowed their opponent to shoot 39.2% from the field on 20 of 51 shooting. They also doled out 19 assists for this game as well as forcing the other team into 17 turnovers and getting 9 steals. In the matter of pulling down boards, they compiled 34 with 4 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Golden Bears converted 15 of 21 attempts for a rate of 71.4%. California ended with a 43.8% FG percentage (28 of 64) and knocked down 5 of their 24 three-point attempts.

Dai Dai Ames is a player who was a contributor for the game. He finished the contest at 54.5% from the floor and recorded 3 assists. He was on the court for 31 minutes and collected 3 rebounds. He scored 18 points on 6 of 11 shooting.

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California steps onto the hardwood with a mark of 21-9 so far this year. They average 77.7 points per game (137th in D-1) on 44.4% from the field. The Golden Bears are connecting on 36.2% on three-point shots (268 of 740) and 78.2% from the charity stripe. As a unit, California is grabbing 34.8 rebounds per game and has racked up 420 dimes for the season, which is 192nd in college in terms of passing the rock. They cough up possession 10.4 times per game and as a team they commit 18.7 fouls per contest.

When they are on defense, the Golden Bears are forcing their opponents into 11.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.1 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 236th in college hoops in giving up assists with 425 surrendered this season. The Golden Bears defense is giving up an opponent FG percentage of 42.9% (761 of 1,773) and they concede 36.7 rebounds per game as a team. They concede 30.7% on shots from distance and they are ranked 135th in college hoops in PPG allowed (72.3).

In their last game, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons took a loss by a score of 75-70 against Virginia. The Demon Deacons were able to snag 22 defensive boards and 6 offensive boards for a total of 28 in this matchup. They also coughed up the ball 8 times, while recording 5 steals for the game. Virginia earned 18 personal fouls for the contest which got the Demon Deacons to the free throw line for a total of 15 shots. They were able to convert 14 of the free throws for a percentage of 93.3%. When discussing three-point attempts, Wake Forest converted 8 of 25 attempts (32.0%). When this game wrapped up, the Demon Deacons shot 24 for 62 from the field which had them shooting 38.7%. The Demon Deacons allowed Virginia to make 25 of 58 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 43.1% for the contest. They finished shooting 31.3% from three-point range by connecting on 10 out of 32 and ended up going 15 out of 23 at the free throw line (65.2%). When talking about attacking the glass, Wake Forest allowed Virginia to grab 39 overall (11 offensive).

Mekhi Mason was important for the Demon Deacons in this game. He made 9 of 12 for this game for a field goal rate of 75.0%, and tallied 2 rebounds. He earned 26 points in his 26 mins on the court and accumulated 1 assist in the matchup.

Wake Forest has a record of 15-15 this year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Demon Deacons are connecting on 45.0% from the floor, which is ranked 199th in the nation. Wake Forest has accumulated 2,365 pts on the campaign (78.8 per game) and they grab 32.9 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 14.3 times per contest (147th in the country) and they are turning it over 10.8 times per contest. The Demon Deacons are committing 18.5 personal fouls per contest while shooting 77.1% from the charity stripe.

The Demon Deacons on the defensive side of the court are 263rd in college in points allowed per contest with 77.0. They are forcing 13.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 44.8% from the field (220th in college). The Wake Forest defense surrenders 33.3% on 3-point shots (275 of 827) and their opponents are converting on 73.2% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 15.5 dimes and 34.9 boards per game, which ranks 312th and 222nd in D-1.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take California

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