SMU Mustangs vs California Golden Bears Prediction, 2/25/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: SMU Mustangs vs California Golden Bears

Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Location: Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, CA

TV: ACC Network

Haas Pavilion is the location where the California Golden Bears (19-8) will attempt to beat the SMU Mustangs (19-8) on Wednesday.

The SMU Mustangs faced off with Boston College and took home the win by a score of 94-70 in their last game. In reference to fouls, the Mustangs finished with 16 and Boston College finished the game with 17 fouls. They converted 11 of 35 tries from downtown. Boston College finished 65.0% from the charity stripe by knocking down 13 of their 20 attempts. Additionally, Boston College grabbed 30 rebounds (14 offensive, 16 defensive), but didn't have a block. Boston College recorded 15 assists and had 4 steals for the game. When it comes to defense, SMU allowed the other team to shoot 33.3% from the floor on 23 out of 69 shooting. They also distributed 22 dimes in the game while forcing 8 turnovers and earning 4 steals. When talking about getting rebounds, they compiled 33 with 8 of them being offensive. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Mustangs knocked down 18 of 25 attempts for a rate of 72.0%. SMU wrapped up the game with a 55.7% field goal percentage (34 out of 61) and made 8 of their 24 shots from beyond the arc.

Jermaine O'Neal Jr. is one guy who played a role for this game. He finished 50.0% from the field but didn't record a dime. He was on the court for 21 mins played and also snagged 2 boards. He accounted for 16 points on 5 out of 10 shooting.

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SMU comes into this game with a record of 19-8 for the season. They turn the ball over 11.1 times per contest and as a team they commit 17.0 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, SMU is grabbing 37.9 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 484 assists for the campaign, which is 31st in college in terms of passing. The Mustangs are hitting 37.9% on shots beyond the perimeter (224 of 591) and 76.1% from the free throw line. They average 86.8 points per outing (15th in the country) while hitting 50.0% from the field.

Defensively, the Mustangs are able to force 12.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.8 personal fouls. They give up 33.0% on shots from distance and they are 285th in the nation in PPG allowed (77.6). The Mustangs defense is giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 43.0% (726 of 1,688) and they concede 34.5 boards per game as a team. They are ranked 326th in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 440 conceded this season.

When they last played, the California Golden Bears walked away with a victory by a final of 72-66 when they faced Stanford. When it comes to how they rebounded, California permitted Stanford to snag 33 overall (9 on the offensive side). They shot 28.6% from three-point range by going 8 out of 28 and finished the contest at 18 of 29 at the free throw line (62.1%). The Golden Bears allowed Stanford to make 20 out of their 60 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 33.3% in the game. At the conclusion of this game, the Golden Bears shot 22 out of 63 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 34.9%. With respect to shots from beyond the perimeter, California buried 9 of their 26 attempts (34.6%). They were able to convert 19 of them for a clip of 82.6%. Stanford was called for 15 fouls in the matchup which got the Golden Bears to the free throw line for a total of 23 tries. They coughed up the ball 9 times, while earning 3 steals for this game. The Golden Bears were able to collect 29 defensive boards and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 40 for this contest.

Chris Bell ended up having an impact for the Golden Bears for the game. He buried 5 out of 11 for the contest for a field goal rate of 45.5%, and earned 4 rebounds. He totaled 20 points in his 33 minutes on the hardwood and totaled 1 assist in this game.

California has a mark of 19-8 this year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Golden Bears are shooting 44.6% from the floor, which has them ranked 219th in Division 1. California has accounted for 2,125 points for the campaign (78.7 per contest) and they pull in 34.9 rebounds per game. They are getting an assist 13.9 times per contest (185th in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 10.3 times per contest. The Golden Bears have committed 18.7 personal fouls every game and they connect on 78.4% from the charity stripe.

The California defense concedes 30.5% on 3-point shots (204 of 669) and their opponents are knocking down 65.5% of their free throw shots. They concede 14.1 assists and 36.6 boards per game, which has them ranked 245th and 309th in D-1. The Golden Bears on the defensive side of the court are 144th in college hoops in points per game surrendered with 72.7. They are forcing 11.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 42.8% from the field (101st in college).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take SMU

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