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Syracuse Orange @ California Golden Bears

Current Records: Syracuse 9-12, California 11-10

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We've got another exciting ACC matchup on schedule as the California Golden Bears and the Syracuse Orange are set to tip at 10:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Haas Pavilion. The Golden Bears are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 75.7 points per game this season.

California is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering SMU just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Wednesday. They fell 76-65 to the Mustangs.

The losing side was boosted by Rytis Petraitis, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten rebounds. What's more, he also posted a 66.7% three-point shooting accuracy, which is the highest he's posted since back in November of 2024. Another player making a difference was Jeremiah Wilkinson, who posted 16 points plus three steals.

Even though they lost, California smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in seven consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Syracuse's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their third straight loss. They took a 70-61 hit to the loss column at the hands of Stanford.

Despite the defeat, Syracuse had strong showings from Jaquan Carlos, who made all 6 shots he took racking up 16 points, and Eddie Lampkin Jr., who posted 12 points along with seven rebounds. Carlos had some trouble finding his footing against Pittsburgh on Saturday, so this was a step in the right direction.

California's loss dropped their record down to 11-10. As for Syracuse, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-12.

Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: California has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Syracuse struggles in that department as they've been averaging 37.6. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.

While California and Syracuse both let their fans down in their last outings, both still covered. Looking ahead, California is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 4.5 points. This contest will be Syracuse's seventh straight as the underdogs (so far over this stretch they are 5-1 against the spread).

Odds

California is a 4.5-point favorite against Syracuse, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Golden Bears as a 3.5-point favorite.


The over/under is 149.5 points.

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