Louisville basketball is set to tip off for the final time in 2025, as the Cards will take on the Cal Golden Bears this evening. The Cards will play on the road for the third time this season, looking to earn their first official road win. Louisville is 0-2 at the other school’s home arena, as they lost at Tennessee and at Arkansas. They have won on neutral courts, beating Cincinnati and Indiana, but tonight they look for their first official road win and first ACC win of the season.
Louisville ended its nonconference schedule 10-2 from those two road wins, and is ranked No. 16 in the nation. Cal ended its nonconference schedule 12-1, with wins over No. 18 UCLA at the time and Utah, and its only loss to Kansas State. Cal is averaging 83.1 points per game while giving up just 66.7 points. As for Louisville, they are averaging 91.6 points per game, which ranks No. 16 in the nation, and are giving up just 68.2 points per game.
This will be a good road conference test for Louisville, so let's dive into predictions and odds for Louisville’s first ACC showdown.
Louisville basketball vs Cal odds
Louisville enters this game as an 8.5-point favorite over the Golden Bears. Louisville is expected to be tested a bit in this road game, as Cal is no pushover, but with Louisville's dominant offense and its ability to score at a high rate, both FanDuel and ESPN give the Cards a strong chance of winning. ESPN Analytics gives Louisville an 84.5 percent chance of winning this game.
Odds courtesy of FanDuel, and as of 11am ET on Tuesday, Dec. 30.
Spread: Louisville -8.5
Moneyline: Louisville -430 Cal +330
Over/Under: 159.5
Prediction
Louisville is coming off a nice 10-day break, during which Mikel Brown Jr. got healthy and is now listed as probable for this game. Brown had to watch from the sideline for Louisville’s last road game, and with the Cards losing by 21 points in that road game, expect Brown and the team to be amped up. Louisville wants to earn that first ACC win and send a message to its conference schedule.
Cal has exceeded expectations in its nonconference schedule, as Dai Dai Ames has transitioned from Virginia to Cal quite nicely, leading the Golden Bears with 17.7 points per game. However, this Louisville offense is a different beast, and they just won’t be able to keep up with it. The Cards' pace, efficiency, and ability to take over will be too much for this Cal team, and Louisville will take over in the second half.
Prediction: 88 Cal 77
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