North Carolina vs. Cal betting: College basketball preview for Jan. 17

Data Skrive
Data Skrive

The California Golden Bears (13-5, 1-4 ACC) will try to end a three-game losing streak when they host the No. 14 North Carolina Tar Heels (14-3, 2-2 ACC) on Saturday, January 17, 2026 at Haas Pavilion as 6.5-point underdogs. The contest airs at 4 p.m. ET on ACC Network. The matchup has a point total of 150.5.

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North Carolina Cover -6.5 vs Cal -105

Bet $20, Payout $39.05

North Carolina vs. Cal betting lines

  • North Carolina moneyline odds to win: -260
  • Cal moneyline odds to win: +210
  • Spread: North Carolina (-6.5)
  • Total: 150.5

North Carolina statistics, trends and more

As the away team

  • North Carolina covered the spread in a higher percentage of its home games than away games last season. North Carolina covered seven times in 15 opportunities when playing at home, and it covered four times in 12 opportunities on the road.
  • When playing at home last season, the Tar Heels eclipse the total 46.7% of the time (seven of 15 games). They hit the over more often on the road, exceeding the total in 58.3% of games (seven of 12).
  • In 14 home games as a moneyline favorite last year, North Carolina had 12 wins (.857). North Carolina owned the same winning percentage (6-1 record) as a moneyline favorite on the road.

Recent trends

  • The Tar Heels have seen a decrease in scoring recently, racking up 81.4 points per game in their last 10 contests, 0.8 points fewer than the 82.2 they’ve scored this year.
  • North Carolina has been slightly suspect on the defensive end of the floor of late, giving up 70.8 points per game over its last 10 contests compared to the 68.7 it has conceded this year.
  • The Tar Heels’ last 10 contests have seen them make 8.7 three-pointers per game while shooting 35.2% from deep. Both numbers are up from their 2025-26 averages of 8.5 makes and 33.8%.

North Carolina betting records this season

  • ATS Record: 8-9-0 (Home: 6-5-0; Away: 1-2-0)
  • ATS Record When Favored by 6.5+: 6-5-0 (As Favorite: 7-8-0; As Underdog: 1-1-0)
  • O-U-P: 7-10-0 (Home: 4-7-0; Away: 2-1-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Favorite: 12-1 (Home: 10-0; Away: 0-1)
  • Record When Moneyline Underdog: 1-2 (Home: 0-0; Away: 1-1)
Field Goal % Opp. Field Goal % Rebounds Opp. Rebounds Assists Turnovers
48.1 (56th in nation) 39.3 (20th) 37.5 (26th) 28.2 (42nd) 17.0 (52nd) 10.2 (74th)

Need to know more about sports betting before you put down a wager on North Carolina vs. Cal? Here’s everything you need to know about how to bet.

Cal statistics, trends and more

As the home team

  • Cal was better against the spread away (10-3-0) than at home (8-9-0) last year.
  • Golden Bears games went above the over/under more frequently at home (11 times out of 17) than on the road (four of 13) last season.
  • The Golden Bears’ winning percentage at home when moneyline underdogs was .333 (1-2) last season, and away it was .154 (2-11).

Recent trends

  • The Golden Bears are putting up 74.3 points per game over their last 10 games, which is 4.2 fewer points than their average for the season (78.5).
  • While Cal is ceding 70.1 points per game in 2025-26, it has been worse in its past 10 games, allowing 70.2 points per contest.
  • The Golden Bears are making 0.6 fewer threes per contest in their last 10 games (8.0) compared to their season average (8.6), and they are producing a lower three-point percentage over their past 10 games (33.1%) compared to their season mark (35.3%).

Cal betting records this season

  • ATS Record: 8-9-0 (Home: 5-8-0; Away: 2-1-0)
  • ATS Record When Underdog by 6.5+: 2-3-0 (As Favorite: 5-6-0; As Underdog: 3-3-0)
  • O-U-P: 7-10-0 (Home: 4-9-0; Away: 2-1-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Favorite: 11-0 (Home: 11-0; Away: 0-0)
  • Record When Moneyline Underdog: 1-5 (Home: 0-2; Away: 0-3)
Field Goal % Opp. Field Goal % Rebounds Opp. Rebounds Assists Turnovers
45.0 (202nd in nation) 41.9 (85th) 30.6 (277th) 31.7 (212th) 14.4 (173rd) 9.3 (22nd)
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