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College Basketball prediction, pick for Louisville vs. California on Tuesday 12/30/25

College Basketball prediction, pick for Louisville vs. California on Tuesday 12/30/25

Sports Betting Picks College Basketball DraftKings Network

Published:

By: Ryan Wohl

For the second consecutive season, the Louisville Cardinals are facing the California Golden Bears tonight at 9:00 p.m. ET. Louisville defeated Cal 85-68 in the previous match in March. The Cardinals have gone 10-2 in their first 12 games, while Cal has a 12-1 record. Louisville has faced four ranked opponents this season, while tonight will be Cal’s second-ranked opponent.

Louisville is an 8.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook. The over/under for this contest is 161.5 points, with both being -110. Here is my best bet for tonightā€™s Louisville vs. California matchup.

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Louisville vs. California (9:00 p.m. ET)

Louisville has had a good season so far; they have lost to two top 20 teams (Arkansas and Tennessee) but have wins over Kentucky and Cincinnati. Since their last loss on December 16, Louisville beat Montana by 40 points on December 20.

Cal has a slightly padded record since their two best wins came against UCLA, which is no longer ranked, and Utah, which is 8-5. Since beating Utah, Cal has victories over Pacific, Dominican, Northwestern State, Morgan State, and Columbia. Despite only having one loss, Cal is No. 61 on KenPom with an 79th-best offensive rating and a 61st-best defensive rating.

Louisville is No. 13 on KenPom, having the seventh-best offensive rating and 34th-best defensive rating. The Cardinals have an elite offense, averaging 91.6 points per contest, the 14th-most in the country. Louisville is led by a trio of terrific guards, Ryan Conwell, Mikel Brown Jr., and Isaac McKneely. Conwell, the Xavier transfer, scores 19.2 points per game while shooting 29.3 percent on three-pointers. Brown has been one of the best freshmen in college basketball this season, averaging 16.6 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per contest.

The Golden Bears’ leading scorer is Dai Dai Ames, who averages 17.7 points per game. Ames is one of four California players in double figures each game. Cal’s offense has been up and down this season, scoring under 80 points in four of its last six contests. This season, Louisville has won nine of its 10 games by at least nine points. Also, the Cardinals have scored at least 87 points in their previous five wins. If Louisville’s offense is clicking, it will be hard for California to keep up against a supremely talented Louisville team.

College Basketball Pick: Louisville -8.5 (-115)

Ryan Wohl

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.