Both the No. 5-ranked Virginia Cavaliers (eight) and the No. 5-ranked California Golden Bears (five) will look to extend their respective winning streaks when they play at John Paul Jones Arena. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 22 and can be seen on ES2 and ES3.
The Cavaliers come into this game on a high note after defeating Villanova 86-75 on Saturday. Anthony Gill was the team’s high scorer with 22 points on 8-for-9 shooting. The Golden Bears, meanwhile, are coming off an 84-51 win over Coppin State on Saturday. Ivan Rabb led the team in scoring with 13 points on 3-for-4 shooting.
From an eFG% perspective, this will be a matchup of two heavyweights. The sweet-shooting offense of Virginia is ranked 15th in the nation in that metric at 57.0%, while California is 20th-best in the nation at making opponents miss (43.0%).
Virginia is a substantial 12-point favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is sitting at 135 points. The Cavaliers enter the game with records of 9-1 Straight Up (SU) and 5-3 Against The Spread (ATS). The Cavaliers are one of the best in Division I in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting a stellar .405 from beyond the arc. Virginia is one of the most disciplined teams in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.67. As for the Virginia defense, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score on the Cavaliers. The 58.9 points that Virginia’s defense allows per game makes them the ninth-ranked defense in the country.
As for their opponent, the Golden Bears haven’t fared well ATS, sitting at 4-7. However, they are 9-2 SU. The Golden Bears are a force on the boards, grabbing an average of 42.3 rebounds per game.
Virginia and California have not played one another in a regular season matchup in recent years.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cal, ATS Winner – Cal, O/U – Under
Notes
Virginia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
Virginia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
California averages 77.6 points per game, placing the team just 108th in the nation. Virginia ranks ninth in points allowed, giving up 58.9 points per game.
California won its last game by a 33-point margin. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, Virginia is 4-0. California is also 4-0 in blowouts this season.
The California Golden Bears rank 48th for their offensive rating of 113.8. The Virginia Cavaliers have a defensive rating of 94.5 (ranked 60th).
California has an average field goal percentage of 46.8%. Virginia is undefeated (2-0) when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Virginia Cavaliers and the California Golden Bears both rank higher in average field goal percentage when compared to their effective field goal percentages. Virginia is 15th and eighth in the nation for eFG% and FG% respectively, while California ranks 90th and 62nd in these categories.
Virginia ranks 95th in assists, registering 15.0 per game. California performs worse at 217th with 12.9 assists per game.
California, the 39th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 5.4 per game. Virginia does worse, ranked 235th with 2.9.
Virginia ranks 201st in offensive rebounds, while California ranks 25th in defensive rebounds.
The Virginia Cavaliers average 6.0 steals per game. The California Golden Bears are undefeated at 4-0 when they allow at least 6 steals.
