
California vs Miami (FL) Prediction 1/25/25 College Basketball Picks Today
Miami (FL) (4-15) vs. California (10-9)
January 25, 2025 8:30 pm EDT
The Line: California -6.5; Over/Under: 151.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Miami Hurricanes and the California Golden Bears meet Saturday in college basketball action from Haas Pavilion. Here’s a California vs Miami prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best California vs Miami pick.
Miami Hurricanes Betting Preview
Needless to say, it’s been quite the difficult campaign for Miami this year. The Hurricanes started out well over their first three games, but they’ve only been able to put one win in the books since way back on November 17. Miami beat Fairleigh Dickinson, Binghamton and Coppin State in that opening trio, then hit a losing streak versus Drake, Oklahoma State, VCU, Charleston Southern, Arkansas, Clemson and Tennessee. The aforementioned lone win over Presbyterian came on December 15, then another string of losses. Miami has fallen to Mount St. Mary’s, Boston College, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Wake Forest, Duke, SMU and Stanford over their last eight games. That makes a 4-15 record for Miami across the first 19 outings.
In their game versus Stanford on Wednesday, Miami didn’t have much of a chance. The Hurricanes posted a 37-21 deficit by halftime, then limped to the loss 88-51 on a 51-30 second half. Leading the team in scoring was Matthew Cleveland, who notched 23 points with one rebound, one steal and two blocks in 33 minutes. Also in double-figures was Lynn Kidd, who posted 10 points with seven boards, one assist and one steal with four turnovers.
California Golden Bears Betting Preview
Over on the Golden Bears’ side, their 2024-25 season started out on a pretty nice run as well. California has struggled mightily in the win column since late November, though. The Bears opened with a 6-1 run across their first seven games featuring only a loss to Vanderbilt. Otherwise it was wins over Cal State Bakersfield, Cal Poly, USC, Air Force, Sacramento State and Mercyhurst in that stretch. The Golden Bears would hit the skids from there, notching a rough 2-8 run over the next 10 outings. Those wins came courtesy of Northwestern State and Virginia. Otherwise it was losses to Missouri, Stanford, Cornell, San Diego State, Pittsburgh. Clemson, Virginia Tech and North Carolina in that time. Since then Cal has taken out NC State and Florida State in their last pair, giving the team a 10-9 overall run so far this year.
In the Florida State game on Wednesday, the Golden Bears came out of the break with a 37-33 advantage. The Bears kept it going in the second with a 40-35 run and cruised to the victory 77-68 in the end. Leading the scoring was Jeremiah Wilkinson with 18 points, three assists and two rebounds. Mady Sissoko doubled up with his 14 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks, while Joshua Ola-Joseph came off the bench for 14 points, two steals and one rebound.
Why the California Golden Bears will win
- Miami (FL) has lost each of its last 18 games against the Atlantic Coast Conference.
- California has won nine of its last 10 night games at Haas Pavilion.
- Miami (FL) has lost the first half in each of its last six games against the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Why the Miami Hurricanes will win
- California has lost 10 of its last 13 games against the Atlantic Coast Conference.
California vs Miami Prediction
I’m going to stay with the Bears. California didn’t shoot very well in the Florida State game, totaling just 37.7 percent from the field. The free throw shooting helped save them however (19-of-22 for 86.4 percent), as well as a 47-42 rebounding edge and 18 points off 10 Seminoles turnovers. The Golden Bears posted 77 points in that victory, which was a nice total following fewer than 69 points in three straight games (a 1-2 run).
As for Miami, their woes continued in the Stanford game. The Hurricanes shot just 35.1 percent from the field and 13.3 percent (2-of-15) from outside in that one alongside 15 turnovers for a whopping 28 Cardinals points. That makes fewer than 55 points in two of the last three games, but to be fair the Hurricanes normally score better than that. The more pressing issue is the points given up on the other side. Miami has surrendered at least 75 points in 10 straight games (a 1-9 run), so California will have plenty of opportunities to score in this one.