North Carolina Tar Heels vs California Golden Bears Picks and Predictions for Saturday, January 17, 2026
Use Code WWWC The North Carolina Tar Heels will be on the conference road trip Saturday afternoon with a 4:00 PM game inside HAAS Pavilion in Berkeley, CA against the California Golden Bears, and we have you ready to roll with our North Carolina vs California prediction. North Carolina is ranked 14th in the nation with 14 wins and 3 losses coming into Saturday. California comes into Saturday with thirteen wins and five losses this season. North Carolina comes into this matchup having lost two of the last three overall, following a 5-point road loss to Stanford in their last outing. California comes into Saturday playing its worst basketball of the season, having lost four of the last five, including three in a row, after a 15-point home loss to Duke last time out. Read more about this North Carolina vs California prediction! Struggling with handicapping? Try our NCAAB Predictions!
UNC tries to get back rolling
The North Carolina Tar Heels offense has averaged 82.2 points on 48% shooting from the floor this season. Defensively, the Tar Heels have been elite, holding opponents to 68.7 points per game this season, but have given up an average of 96 points per game during their last two losses. Offensively North Carolina had a solid game last time out pouring in 90 points on 58% shooting from the floor and the Tar Heels knocked down 6 triples in the game appeared defensively North Carolina was obliterated giving up 95 points including fifty in the second-half at Stanford shot 57% from the floor and knocked down 16 long balls in the game period North Carolina won the rebounding battle by 10 but turned the ball over 11 times in the loss period Caleb Wilson led the way for the North Carolina offense with 26 points and 9 rebounds on 16 shots. Henri Veesaar also scored 26 points on 12 shots in 32 minutes of action for North Carolina. Seth Trimble was the third starter in double digits with 13 points in 36 minutes. Luka Bogavac led the way off the North Carolina bench with 13 points on nine shots in 19 minutes.
Caleb Wilson leads the North Carolina offense this season, averaging 19.9 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. Henri Veesaar is second on the roster, averaging 17.4 points per game this season. Seth Trimble has chipped in a third-best 15.4 points per game this year, but has played just eight times. Kyan Evans averages 5.9 points to go along with the team-leading 3.4 assists per game.
Key Injury Report for North Carolina:
Get Free $30 Credit for Premium Picks + Exclusive Discounts
Subscribe Now
- None
California looks for an end to the losing
Offensively, California has averaged 78.5 points on 45% shooting from the floor this season, but the Golden Bears have averaged 65.25 points per game over their last three losses. Defensively, California is allowing 70.1 points per game this year and has given up an average of 80.75 points per game over its last four losses. Defensively, California was obliterated in its last outing, giving up 71 points as Duke shot 45% from the floor, knocking down 7 triples. Offensively, California was horrendous, scoring just 56 points on 37% shooting and 22% from beyond the arc. The Golden Bears lost the rebounding battle by 14 and turned the ball over 11 times in the loss. Lee Dort Led to California offense in their last outing with 14 points on eight shots and 27 minutes. John Camden chipped in 11 points in 24 minutes, and Justin Pippen added 10 points in 33 minutes of action. The California bench was horrendous, scoring 8 total points between 8 players.
Dai Dai Ames leads the California offense this season, averaging 17.3 points per game. Justin Pippen is second on the roster with 14.4 points to go along with the team-leading assists per game. Chris Bell averages 13.3 points, and John Camden averages 13.1 points per game. Lee Dort averages 8.7 points and leads California, pulling in 7.6 rebounds per game.
Key Injury Report for California:
- Sammie Yeanay (Questionable) - Undisclosed
- Jovani Ruff (Questionable) - Undisclosed
- Rytis Retraitais (Questionable) - Undisclosed
North Carolina vs California Pick
- North Carolina vs California Spread Pick
North Carolina has hit a rough patch as of late, but it will get the job done on Saturday afternoon. The Tar Heels are better on both sides of the ball than California and will do the job to get a win. Look for North Carolina to play to its strengths, using its depth and talent all over the floor to overwhelm a struggling California team. Take the North Carolina Tar Heels Saturday afternoon to end their recent skid as they get an ACC road win and cover in Berkeley against the California Golden Bears.
- North Carolina vs California Over/Under Pick
Both teams can score, but each has struggled defensively recently. California comes into this game struggling immensely, and that will continue against a good North Carolina team. Look for the Tar Heels to stifle California from the opening minutes, leading to the victory. Take North Carolina to have a defensive mindset on Saturday as they do the job to get a needed victory. The Tar Heels do the work on both sides of the ball, leading to the win and cover out West, but the total will go well under as the Tar Heels smother California for 40 minutes.
Betting on College Basketball?
- Join Winners and Whiners premium for free and get a free $30 coupon with code FREE30
- Get started and wager on college hoops today with our favorite online sportsbooks
- Claim a CBB betting bonus offer with the best sportsbook promos
Up To $1500 in Bonus Bets Paid Back if your First Bet Does Not Win
New Users – Bet $5 Get $200 in Bet Reset Tokens for 5 Days
