Louisville Cardinals vs. Cal Golden Bears Picks and Prediction for Tuesday, December 30, 2025
It’s an ACC matchup on the hardwood in the Bluegrass State as the #16 Louisville Cardinals travel west to take on the Cal Golden Bears Tuesday night and we have you covered with our Louisville vs. Cal prediction. Louisville comes in off a 94-54 home win over Montana December 20 in their previous contest, covering the line as a 30.5-point favorite. Cal dropped Columbia 74-56 at home December 21 in their previous game, covering the line as a nine-point favorite. In the all-time series between the teams, the teams have split two meetings, with Louisville taking an 85-68 win at home in the most recent matchup March 5. Read more about this Louisville vs. Cal prediction! Get our top NCAAB Betting Picks and increase your bankroll!
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Cardinals Seeking to Keep Rolling
Louisville bounced back from a drubbing at the hands of #20 Tennessee on the road as they dropped the hammer on Montana in their final game before the holiday break. The Cardinals improved to 10-2 overall on the year and look to start ACC play on a positive note. Against Montana, Louisville never trailed in the game as they ran to a 42-20 advantage at the half. The Cardinals led by as many as 40 in the game as they rolled to the victory. Louisville shot 52.3% from the floor, including 12 of 34 from beyond the arc, and dominated the glass by a 48-25 margin in the contest. Sananda Fru paced Louisville with 18 points and eight rebounds in the win.
The Cardinals enter the game 14th in scoring offense with 91.6 points per contest this season. Louisville is 21st in the nation in rebounding with 42 per contest while the team is 16th in Division I by dishing out 19.1 assists per contest. The Cardinals are above average defensively, ranking 71st in scoring defense as they allow an average of 68.2 points per game this year. Mikel Brown Jr. is second on the team with 16.6 points plus 5.1 assists per game this season. Ryan Conwell (19.2 points, 4.8 rebounds), Khani Rooths (6.4 points, 4.4 rebounds) and Isaac McKneely (11.3 points, 3.6 rebounds) are good secondary options offensively. J’Vonne Hadley (9.9 points, five rebounds), Sananda Fru (10.7 points, 6.3 rebounds), Adrian Woolley, Kobe Rodgers, Vangelis Zougres, Kasean Pryor and Aly Khalifa are other contributors for coach Pat Kelsey. Louisville shoots 47.5% from the floor as a team this season. The Cardinals are splashing 12.6 triples a night (3rd) while shooting 36% from beyond the arc. Louisville has been above average at the charity stripe in their attempts by cashing in 76.5% of their attempts this season, which is 39th in Division I.
Key Injury Report for Louisville:
- Guard Mikel Brown (back) is questionable.
- Guard Kobe Rodgers (concussion) is questionable.
Cal Looking to Maintain Momentum
Cal ran their win streak to nine games as they took down Columbia at home in their finale before the holidays. The Golden Bears ran their mark to 12-1 on the year as they kick off conference play here. Against Columbia, Cal used a 13-0 run early to break a 4-4 tie and led the rest of the way. The Golden Bears were up 28-16 at the half and led by as many as 21 en route to the victory. Cal shot 42.1% from the field, including seven of 21 from three-point range, forced 15 turnovers and knocked down 19 of 24 free throw attempts while the Lions were six of 12 at the stripe. Dai Dai Ames led the Golden Bears with 21 points in the win.
The Golden Bears put up an average of 83.1 points per game this season, which puts them 89th in the nation in scoring offense. Cal collects 36 rebounds per contest and dishes out 15.2 assists a night. The Golden Bears are above average defensively by allowing 66.7 points per contest, putting them 52nd in the nation in scoring defense. Dai Dai Ames leads the team with 17.7 points plus 2.5 assists per game this season. The Golden Bears rely on John Camden (15.5 points, 4.9 rebounds), Justin Pippen (14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists), Chris Bell (14.4 points, 2.7 rebounds) and Lee Dort (8.9 points, 7.6 rebounds) as secondary options offensively. Semetri Carr, Rytis Petraitis, Nolan Dorsey, DeJuan Campbell and Milos Ilic have to step up and contribute on both ends for coach Mark Madsen. Cal shoots 47.5% from the field as a team this season. The Golden Bears knock down 9.3 triples a night while shooting 38.8% from beyond the arc. Cal is above average at the charity stripe as they shoot 78.5% as a team at the stripe, putting them 10th in the nation.
Key Injury Report for Cal:
- Forward Rytis Petraitis (undisclosed) is questionable.
- Guard DeJuan Campbell (undisclosed) is questionable.
Louisville vs. Cal Pick
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tony Karpinski | +2,976.00 |
| 2 |  Joe Duffy | +2,595.00 |
| 3 |  The Insiders Room | +2,320.00 |
| 4 |  Mark Ruelle | +1,627.00 |
| 5 |  Jackie Mack | +1,451.00 |
Louisville vs. Cal Spread Pick
- Louisville -6.5 (4 units)
Both teams have gotten off to hot starts on the year as they get into conference play here. Louisville hopes to have Brown back in the mix, as he is the team’s second-leading scorer. On the flip side, Cal is dealing with injuries to a couple of role players, though they come in with nine straight victories. The Golden Bears do have a win over UCLA, ranked 32nd in the KenPom rankings, but six of their victories have come over teams that currently rank as Quad IV wins. Additionally, four of their remaining wins are Quad III wins plus a win over a non-Division I foe. Louisville is 2-2 in Quad I games and they should take care of business against a Cal squad that hasn’t been tested much this season.
Louisville vs. Cal Over/Under Pick
- Under 158.5 (4 units)
Louisville has seen the over post a 6-6 mark in their 12 games on the year. The Cardinals are sixth in offensive efficiency, 27th in effective field goal percentage (57.5%), 86th in turnover percentage (15.7%), 61st in offensive rebounding percentage (35.4%) and 16th in two-point shooting (61.8%) on the year. Louisville is 44th in tempo with 72 possessions a night. Cal has seen the under post a 7-4-1 mark in their 12 games with a posted total on the year. The Golden Bears are 78th in offensive efficiency, 60th in defensive efficiency, 32nd in effective field goal percentage defense (45.7%), 69th in field goal percentage defense (40.7%) and 90th in three-point defense (30.8%) this season. Cal is slightly below average in terms of tempo as they are 201st with 68.5 possessions a game according to KenPom. With injury concerns on both sides and Cal content to slow things down a bit, lean toward the under in this contest.
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